A study published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes found that sarcasm is linked to higher levels of creativity, as outlined in the press release. The experiments utilized 300 men and women and put them through tests of creativity after they either gave or received sarcastic comments; results were compared to a control group that went through the same tests, but instead of sarcastic comments they received sincere comments.
"We found that sarcasm may stimulate creativity, the generation of ideas, insights, or problem solutions that are novel and useful," said Li Huang, one of the study's authors. "As Oscar Wilde believed, sarcasm may represent a lower form of wit, but we found that it certainly catalyzes a higher form of thought."
In comparison to the control group, the sarcasm group was three times more creative and the researchers believe that this is due to the fact that sarcasm requires the human brain to utilize abstract thinking, which requires creativity.
"To create or decode sarcasm, both the expressers and recipients of sarcasm need to overcome the contradiction (i.e., psychological distance) between the literal and actual meanings of the sarcastic expressions," said Francesca Gino. "This is a process that activates and is facilitated by abstraction, which in turn promotes creative thinking."
Future studies look to explore how the tone and content of sarcasm can affect human cognitive processes and communication in relationships.
"We hope our research will inspire organizations and communication coaches to take a renewed look at sarcasm," said Gino. "Instead of discouraging workplace sarcasm completely as they have been doing, they could help educate individuals about the appropriate circumstances under which sarcasm can be used."
