Understanding Sarcasm is the Sign of a Healthy Brain

Whenever my sister and I engage in some playful banter, generally its insults wrapped up in tiny boxes of humor. Since the Philippines’ pop culture is dominated by a particular comedian’s quirky brand of comedy, we can’t really help but take our own jab at the craft. Sarcasm, dominates our banters of course, but I can’t really say we’re the only one partaking in that train. In fact, I can say that sarcasm has been one of the most used methods of communication around the world.

Sarcasm is a sharp, bitter, or cunning expression or remark; a bitter gibe or taunt. The distinctive quality of sarcasm is present in the spoken word and manifested chiefly by vocal inflections. The Greek root for sarcasm, sarkazein, means to tear flesh like dogs. Kinda brutal when you think about it, isn’t it?

Sarcastic statements are kind of a play between a truth and a lie, laced with insult and humor. You’re saying something you don’t really mean, and it only is considered as communication of the intended listener gets the jist of what you said. And since sarcasm is dualistic in nature, it has lead to contradictory theories as to why we use it.

Some language experts suggest that sarcasm is sort of our own way to serve up an insult in a gentler way, to tone down the criticism with humor. But other researchers have found that the mocking, smug, superior nature of sarcasm is perceived as more hurtful that a plain-spoken criticism.

Dr. Shamay-Tsoory, a psychologist at the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa and the University of Haifa, said: “Sarcasm is related to our ability to understand other people’s mental state. It’s not just a linguistic form; it’s also related to social cognition.”

The research revealed that areas of the brain that decipher sarcasm and irony also process language, recognize emotions and help us understand social cues. “Understanding other people’s state of mind and emotions is related to our ability to understand sarcasm.” She adds.

Sarcasm detection is an essential skill of one is going to function in a modern society that has sarcasm as its bread and butter. “Our culture in particular is permeated with sarcasm” says Katherine Rankin, a neuropsychologist at the University of California at San Francisco. “People who don’t understand sarcasm are immediately noticed. They’re not getting it. They’re not socially adept.

The extra work may make our brains sharper, according to another study. College students in Israel listened to complaints to a cellphone company’s customer service line. The students were better able to solve problems creatively when the complaints were sarcastic as opposed to just plain angry. Sarcasm appears to stimulate complex thinking ant to attenuate the otherwise negative effects of anger, according to the study authors.

Dr. Shamay-Tsoory’s research revealed that areas of the brain that decipher sarcasm and irony also process language, recognize emotions and help us understand social issues. The study showed that people with damage in the prefrontal love struggled to pick out sarcasm. The others, including people with similar damage to other parts of the brain were able to correctly place the sarcastic remarks into context. It has also been pointed out that being unable to recognize sarcasm may be an early sign of dementia.

So, there you have it, folks. Engaging in this sharp-tongued wit actually indicates that you have a healthy brain!

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