Sarcasm doesn’t have a very good reputation, but a new study by researchers at the Harvard Business School and other universities shows that sarcasm stimulates creativity and problem solving skills. According to the researches, sarcasm forces the brain to switch to a more abstract thinking, which in turn can catalyze creative thinking. Also, to be able to express or understand sarcasm, the brain needs to function in a more creative way, and this can lead to coming up with new types of solutions to every day problems. The researchers did a series of experiments to figure out if sarcasm could affect cognitive functioning. They do admit that it is possible that naturally creative people may simply be more likely to use sarcasm. Moreover, they found that a relationship of trust makes it more likely that sarcasm works.
