Sarcasm

Below is an interesting quote about the role of sarcasm in our lives. I certainly am guilty of using sarcasm and enjoying others' sarcastic sense of humor (when it's not too extreme, of course). A good joke (at others' expense) is sometimes the best cure for bordom, and it can make you see things in a new, unexpected light. Yes, it's easy to go overboard and hurt people's feelings, I know that. But most often it's still a worthy pursuit.
--- T

How might something so, well, sarcastic as sarcasm, be part of the human social toolbox?
Evolutionary biologists claim that sociality is what has made humans such a successful species. We are masters at what anthropologists and others call "social intelligence." We recognize and keep track of hundreds of relationships, and we easily distinguish between enemies and friends.
More important, we run our lives by social calculation. A favor is mentally recorded and paid back, sometimes many years later. Likewise, insults are marked down on the mental score card in indelible ink. And we are constantly bickering and making up, even with people we love.
Sarcasm, then, is a verbal hammer that connects people in both a negative and positive way. We know that sense of humor is important to relationships; if someone doesn't get your jokes, they aren't likely to be your friend (or at least that's my bottom line about friendship). Sarcasm is simply humor's dark side, and it would be just as disconcerting if a friend didn't get your snide remarks.

Meredith F. Small
LiveScience's Human Nature Columnist
LiveScience.com