Dating a sarcastic person can be rewarding, but that doesn’t make it easy. Yes, we admit it. We may come off cocky at time, but it’s a front – we don’t actually think we’re all that. I mean, we kind of are, but we’re not just going to come right out and say it like that.
The truth is, we’re actually pretty sensitve…we just like to joke and mess around a lot.
But before you date a sarcastic person, there are certain things you should know:
1. You’ll need a thick skin
The most important thing is to just take our jokes in stride. If you don’t know if we’re joking, it’s safe to assume we’re joking. We can’t help being smart asses – our brains are just too big!
2. You have to be pretty wicked smart to date us
A university study shows that the ability to understand sarcasm depends on a carefully orchestrated sequence of complex cognitive skills in specific parts of the brain. Scientists who have monitored the electrical activity of the brains of test subjects exposed to sarcastic statements have found that brains have to work harder to understand sarcasm. There is actually a three-stage neural pathway in our brains that enables us to understand irony.
The study, done with college students, had them listen to complaints on a cellphone company’s customer service line. Results showed that the students who recognized sarcasm had a better developed “theory of mind??? – an ability to see beyond the literal meaning of the words, and understand that the speaker may be referring to something entirely different.
3. We want you to bite back
We bite, but you can bite back too. In fact, we love it. We’re sarcastic with our friends because we want to bond, not because we’re mean. For every “mean” thing we joke about, we have five more nice things to say about you.
4. We’ll make you smarter, for real
As Richard Chin of Smithsonian Magazine explains, sarcasm requires a series of “mental gymnastics.??? Sarcastic, satirical or ironic statements all compel the brain to “think beyond the literal meaning of the words and understand that the speaker may be thinking of something entirely different.??? Studies have shown that exposure to sarcasm enhances creative problem solving. So, over time, this increased bulk of cognitive-expenditure doesn’t go to waste.
That means we’ll totally work out your brain, Chin describes active sarcasm use as a means of “mental exercise.??? Just like training your muscles, if you do 50 push-ups a day, over time, your arms are bound to be toned, sarcasm as a form of “mental exercise,??? or “mental gymnastics??? functions much the same way, leaving your brain toned, too.
5. We have soft, gooey centers under our hard exteriors
We’re only this sarcastic because we have mad layers of depth and feelings, and because we’re so damn smart our brains will explode if we don’t constantly exercise it. We’re actually overly sensitive and affectionate underneath all that irony. We just can’t help it – the default mode of our mouth is sarcastic. Being all gooey is extremely difficult for us. So when we do get serious, pay attention. (Or like cherish it or whatever).
6. We’re funnier than other people
Our humor will never be “ba-dum-bum-CHING.??? It’s more complicated than that. But if you already like us then you probably understand our satirical humor and you’ll never be bored.
7. Mean comments are displays of affection
Our sarcasm is humorous, not rude, by nature. I hate you = I love you. We would never laugh at you if we didn’t think you could laugh at us too. We like to play around not because we dislike people, but because we want to eliminate barriers between people.
8. We will also be your shield from stupid people
Mastering sarcasm also gives us the ability to insult stupid people without them realizing it. Since hitting people is frowned upon, sarcasm is our selected shield. You’ll always have a private joke with us when dealing with idiots or aggravating situations, and our annoyance and frustration will be cleverly and humorously disguised with sarcasm.
9. We can see through the bullshit
We’re kinda like a human lie detector. Maybe it’s from all those years of exercising our brains with our irony. We can sniff out bullshit from a mile away, so just be prepared to get challenged. And don’t ever think you’ll be able to deceive us – we’re always two steps ahead.