Title: Field Guide: Sarcastic Masters | Psychology Today
Headings: Field Guide: Sarcastic Masters
Field Guide: Sarcastic Masters
They're smart, they're funny, and they know it. But is cracking jokes that put other people down truly wise?
Genesis of the Jibe
Sarcasm's Slippery Slope
When to Take The Edge Off

Content: A knack for sarcasm isn't necessarily linked to intelligence, says Simone Shamay-Tsoory, a neurologist at the University of Haifa in Israel. Some highly intelligent people who have autism or Asperger's syndrome, for example, may fail to understand jokes and sarcasm. But her research has shown that people who are particularly good at detecting sarcasm also tend to be better at identifying emotional facial expressions. They seem to understand social situations better overall, she says. Such superior social intelligence may be behind Joakim's conclusion that those who can hang with sarcasm are always the most interesting conversation partners at a party. Sarcasm's Slippery Slope
Everyone wants a witty partner, but sarcasm can sabotage relationships. Psychologist John Gottman has found that if partners display contempt toward each other—which commonly includes making sarcastic remarks—their odds of divorce rise dramatically. " People who use sarcasm don't see themselves as being hurtful, they see themselves as being funny," Katz says. " But recipients tend to interpret their remarks as hurtful." "People are constantly getting mad at me," Mosteller says. "