Sarcasm Makes You Smarter

I read with interest and amusement an article in the Smithsonian Magazine on “The Science of Sarcasm.”

The core of the article is that:

“Studies have shown that exposure to sarcasm enhances creative problem solving, for instance. Children understand and use sarcasm by the time they get to kindergarten. An inability to understand sarcasm may be an early warning sign of brain disease.”

This is intuitively self-evident. To deal with sarcasm, you have to perform a series of mental shifts to “translate” what is being said. This (a) exercises your brain more; and (b) makes you more aware of multiple levels of meaning.

Some of the details were particularly interesting, however.  Thus college students in Israel were better able to solve problems on a cellphone company’s help desk if the complaints were sarcastic rather than just plan angry.

Sarcasm permeates society. Thus a study of telephone conversations shows that the phrase “yeah, right” is used sarcastically 23% of the time. New York City subway riders and airplane users have long since stopped taking messages in the form “We’re sorry for the delay and any inconvenience. Thank you for your patience and understanding” at face value. Sarcasm is also regional within the US. Thus:

“Northerners also were more likely to think sarcasm was funny: 56 percent of Northerners found sarcasm humorous while only 35 percent of Southerners did. The New Yorkers and male students from either location were more likely to describe themselves as sarcastic.” 

Does this mean that Northerners are smarter than Southerners?  Obviously not, but it probably does mean that they are used to dealing with the world in different ways.

So let’s hear it for sarcasm.