Reading Tweenior Moments Boosts IQ & Creativity (No, Really)

OK, maybe I oversold this one a bit. BUT, recent findings show that sarcasm boosts cognitive performance and creativity. And I’m going to ride on this study’s coattails at least for today.

“Scientists now say that watching Modern Family will actually make you more creative and smarter,” began one of the segments on Good Morning America today.

Keep talking, GMA. I’m all ears.

GMA interviewed one of the study’s authors, Adam Galinsky, Professor of Business at Columbia Business School, who explained that sarcasm “requires you to think in a more flexible way . . . and flexible thinking is the foundation of creativity.”

Now I better understand why I love Modern Family so much. Besides the witty dialogue, relevant storylines, great comedic timing and perfect casting, the show drips with sarcasm in every episode, as in this funny clip in today’s GMA interview.

I love this study’s new insight for so many reasons, but mostly because it’s a win-win for everyone (when it’s done right). Sarcasm requires the mental gymnastics to both create the sarcastic comment (by the one who dishes it out) and to get the nuanced meaning of the joke (by the “dishee”).

Our brains literally need to work harder to understand sarcasm, trying to detect the true intent behind a comment like, “Well aren’t you special?” Like a Sudoku puzzle, sarcasm might help keep those neurons firing as we face the mental decline (or at least deceleration) that starts to rear its ugly head in middle age. If I can choose between writing a sarcastic comment into my blog or watching an old George Carlin routine on YouTube or taking an Omega-3 supplement to keep my brain sharp, I’ll go with wit over smelly fish pills any day.

Now, I don’t advocate for the Mean Girls smack-down approach to sarcasm (although that can be funny in small doses and in the right context, like a Melissa McCarthy movie).

Truly, sarcasm can derail many a conversation (and piss off quite a few people) if not delivered just right. For example, I was once talking to a mom (who, apparently, did not share the same sense of humor), while her crying toddler ran around in the kitchen behind us. I mean, this little girl was just wailing and would not stop crying no matter what the mom did. Trying to diffuse the stressful situation, I cracked a sarcastic joke about not missing that phase of my kids’ lives now that they’re older. The mom was horrified and looked at me as if I had said, “You suck as a mom and your kid’s a brat!” That is SO not what I meant. Ooops. My bad. (Note to self: know thy audience.)

Innocuous sarcasm, on the other hand, often draws people in, connecting them with a common struggle or frustration. Sarcasm, in its blunt nakedness, can flush out a funny truth from a simple observation, a lá Seinfeld, or find humor in pain, a lá any artist/musician/writer anywhere.

And truly, that’s a big part of what Tweenior Moments is all about – exposing a common truth or frustrating situation by looking at it from a lighter/humorous perspective. And if infusing my blog with a little sarcasm makes you smarter or boosts your creativity, then all the better. You’re welcome. 😉