Sarcasm and Intelligence

Does Sarcasm and Intelligence go hand in hand?
Ever got congratulated for breaking any item by your parents? Ever got thanked for reaching late? Ever got rewarded for submitting your work late? Yes, you got it right Sherlock, I am talking about sarcasm. Ever got referred as Sherlock, for stating the obvious? ;)

Now, recall your one friend who more or less has only one emotion which is disgust and more often replies sarcastically to almost all questions although most of the times replies are considered to be the wittiest. Would you consider him intelligent, smart or profound by any chance? Do you think sarcasm and intelligence go hand in hand?

Yes, finally coming on to the point, let's try to understand the dynamics of sarcasm with intelligence! Sarcasm always shared a bitter sweet relationship with Intelligence. Sarcasm also shares a thin boundary with cynicism and insults, while intelligence owes its definition to people's perceptions, both living an unambiguous life. Intelligence is considered to be simplicity in complexity, while sarcasm is an unique way of presenting an idea comprising a flow of complexity. Sarcasm can take a simple notion to complex implications! Sarcasm is an angel disguised as a devil.

Sarcasm is also an ally of smart people who claim it to their defence against dumbness and stupidity. Just then maturity kicks in breaking the door, criticizing sarcasm as a comeback for less wiser. Maturity suggests sarcasm to be the most blunt tool for the sharpest of mind.  But then would you consider Chandler, Dr House and Harvey Specter to be immature? Maturity and intelligence can also be friends with sarcasm if intended positively and could knock out sarcasm as soon as it runs out of it's limits.

So are sarcastic people just certified smart asses, or are more intelligent than non-sarcastic people? They are more intelligent because sarcasm is related to the ability to understand other people's mental state. It's not just a linguistic form, it's also related to social cognition. Sarcasm may stimulate creativity, the generation of ideas, insights, or problem solutions that are novel and useful.

Hence ability to use sarcasm accounts for intelligence and at the same time being intelligent accounts for being sarcastic.Sometimes they both go hand in hand in the same direction while sometimes they opt for the opposite!
Previous Sponsors