Could you BE any more sarcastic? Well, we've got good news for you. We've been told so many times that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but actually, it's not - according to a recent survey led by professors at top American Universities.
A study in Organization Behavior and Human Decision Processes suggests sarcastic people are more creative, after looking at how sarcastic comments affect creativity, according to Medicaldaily.com.
More than 300 men and women were tested by completing tasks after saying or hearing sarcastic comments, and measured against those saying or hearing sincere comments.
The sarcastic group was measured as three times more creative than the sincere group, because sarcasm forces our brains to think abstractly, and therefore boosts our creative juices. *
“We have shown that creativity is enhanced following all types of sarcasm, from sarcastic anger and criticism to sarcastic compliments and banter,” the researchers revealed “All forms of sarcastic exchanges, not just sarcastic anger or criticism, seem to exercise the brain more.”
So good news for the Chandler Bings of the world, and apologies to Oscar Wilde, because it sounds like sarcasm isn't the lowest form of wit after all. We'll be reeling this reearch next time we're told off for being too sarcastic by our parents (yep, still happens all the time).