Highest functions of brain produce lowest form of wit
Seems
that someone with a PhD finally decided to figure out where sarcasm
ranks on the cognitive food chain. Turns out that its close to
the top.
An investigation by
Simone Shamay-Tsoory and colleagues shows that the ability to
understand sarcasm depends on a carefully orchestrated sequence of
complex cognitive skills in specific parts of the brain.….
First the language centre
in the brain’s left hemisphere interprets the literal meaning of words.
Next, the frontal lobes and right hemisphere process the speaker’s
intention and check for contradictions between the literal meaning and
the social and emotional context. Finally, the right ventromedial
prefrontal cortex – our sarcasm meter – makes a decision based on our
social and emotional knowledge of the situation.
Now the question is, how do knock knock jokes rate?
