Harmless forms of sarcasm promote creativity through abstract thinking for those on both the giving and receiving ends of sarcastic exchanges. Studies indicate that sarcasm exercises the brain more than sincere statements do since the brain has to work harder to understand and translate it. This extra processing may make us sharper because it activates abstract thinking. ⁠ ⁠ One could say that sarcasm is a workout for the brain--those who toss around a bit of good-natured wit are found to think on a whole different level than those opposed to harmless sarcasm. One study suggests that not only does sarcasm stimulate complex thinking, but it also helps mitigate the potentially negative effects of anger. When college students in Israel were asked to staff a call center at a cell phone company, they were more effective at solving problems creatively when the complaints were sarcastic rather than simply angry.⁠ ⁠ And if you can easily tell when someone is being snarky, that's a good thing s...