This story was just so interesting that I had to share it with my millions and millions of smart, good-looking readers.
Harvard Business School researchers have apparently determined that sarcasm, especially when it has a sharp edge to it, represents the “highest form of intelligence.”
“The construction and interpretation of sarcasm lead to greater creativity because they activate abstract thinking,” the study’s authors write in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes…
“Just blurting out an insult is pedestrian at best,” information technology expert Vacheh Joakim told Psychology Today recently. “But a sarcastic jab that can masquerade as a compliment is much more enjoyable, and it also gives the person being sarcastic a sense of superiority.”
Oh, you’re an information technology expert? That sounds really interesting. A lot of people worry about that moment when someone asks, “So, what do you do for a living?” But you’ve got it covered. Good call.
But I couldn’t disagree more with this scientific finding. Sarcasm is hurtful and cruel to others, and I hate it when people don’t get that I’m being sarcastic. The purpose of language is to help us understand each other, and sarcasm only impedes that. Everybody should stop being sarcastic immediately.
No, I mean it.
Hey, thanks for reading, guys. You’re the best.
(Hat tip: Jake Tapper, who’s just terrific)