How did sarcasm become a sign of intelligence? - Healthbiztips

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How did sarcasm become a sign of intelligence? - Healthbiztips

April 14, 2019

Sarcasm is a Sign of Intelligence

Let's play a mind game!

Are sarcastic people really that smart?


Intelligence--we're always interested to know how smart we are.

Being sarcastic might sound like an absurd way to tell if someone is intelligent, yet, scientific studies uncover that it is.

How did sarcasm become a sign of intelligence? - Healthbiztips

Sarcasm can be quite tricky because it's saying the contrary of what you intend to convey.

You might ask, if speaking in paradox is the norm of intelligent people, then they must be cracking jokes every few lines. Don't mind me, I'm just being sarcastic.

What makes a sarcastic person so smart?

It turns out, speaking the paradox requires more brain power.

The ability to say and understand sarcasm requires a higher brain process that involves abstract thinking.

Abstract thinking is the ability to analyze and interpret intangible ideas, principles, relationships, and patterns.

It's the ability to think about something which you can not see, feel, or touch, and that which only exist in the mind, like solving a math problem.

The human brain depends on abstract thinking to process mathematics, language, and physics.

Did you know that abstract thinking is a crucial measure of intelligence so it is included in most intelligence test?

The sarcasm. You have to be clever enough to take in the whole situation and find the hidden meaning that is masked underneath a poker face or at times, an inappropriate tone and contradicting facial expression.

Sarcasm boosts creativity

Sarcastic people excel in abstract thinking.

One study reveals that creativity is improved in people who express and understand sarcasm. Yep, after all, creativity is an abstract concept.


In conclusion, I know some of you might think that being sarcastic is such an easy feat that even a kid will have no problem saying and understanding it.

But, in my experience, while I know a lot of people who can spot a sarcastic remark head-on, there are also those folks who just can't catch on. Which, by the way, makes me a mean and judgemental person by thinking that they're "kind of dumb".

At the end, sarcasm sounds like a mind game. It's either you don't get it, take offense, or nail it!

Intelligent people Daydream More - Healthbiztips

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Intelligent people Daydream More - Healthbiztips

March 18, 2019

Intelligent people Daydream More

At first glance, daydreaming may sound like a useless distraction, but research debunks this common notion and actually associates mind wandering with intelligence. Curious isn't it?  Daydreaming may be the last thing in your mind when you think about an intelligent person. I mean, how can you accomplish a goal if your mind keeps on wandering?

Remember Bruce Lee's famous line "The successful warrior is the average man, with laser focus."

Intelligent people Daydream More
photo credit @filmape Jay @unsplash

@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan

Studies shows that daydreaming points to intelligence and creativity.

Daydreaming may look like a no-brainer, but it actually involves complex parts of the brain.

Even when you are not doing anything, certain areas in your brain becomes active. This area of your brain is called the default mode network (DMN) which includes the medial prefrontal cortex, medial temporal lobe, and posterior cingulate cortex. The default mode network deactivates during tasks that require concentration.

I have to point out that people with high intelligence are not stuck in their daydream, but instead, can easily get back to reality when needed. The brain do not stop working even when the person is on standby, another part of the brain enables daydreaming, but when it's time to get real, they can quickly get back to reality.

MRI scan reveals that intelligent people are very good at juggling between their daydream and real life tasks.

Research shows that people with higher intelligence tend to daydream more compared to average people. They also show more creativity. But, daydreaming is not a rare phenomenon.

In fact, daydreaming engages our mind, so much, that it consumes about 30% to 50% of our waking hours. In a sense, daydreaming keeps our mind healthy.

Daydreaming have positive mental health benefits like enabling problem solving, lifting the mood, and planning future actions.


Resources:

CA, Goodwin, et al. "Functional connectivity within and between intrinsic brain networks correlates with trait mind wandering." Neuropsychologia. Aug;103:140-153. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.07.006. Epub 2017 Jul 10.

McMillan, Rebecca L et al. “Ode to positive constructive daydreaming” Frontiers in psychology vol. 4 626. 23 Sep. 2013, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00626

General Anesthesia cuts down Child's Intelligence

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General Anesthesia cuts down Child's Intelligence

November 12, 2018

Their are cases when children have to undergo surgery and be given general anesthesia. Undergoing surgery is scary enough. Even so, knowing that general anesthesia can cut down a child's intelligence can freak out some parents.

General Anesthesia cuts down Child's Intelligence

@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan

A child's brain development during their formative years (6-12 years old) raises great concern among parents.

When major surgery is deemed necessary, the use of anesthesia is a must...unless you want the surgery to be a living nightmare. But the use of general anesthesia does have it's downside when it comes to intelligence.

Researchers found out that children exposed to general anesthesia has a marked reduction in intelligence. Children experience impairment in memory and difficulty learning.

It is alarming that the bad impact of general anesthesia has over intelligence is dramatic even up to 3 month after undergoing operation.

It isn't until 1 year after surgery that a child is able to fully recover from the bad effect of general anesthesia over their intelligence. Which is both a bad news and a good news. The downside is the number of months a child has to painstakingly cope with, which, by the way, is a pretty long time. This can possibly result to a poor academic performance.

The upside is that full recovery from general anesthesia is possible.

In my opinion, we shouldn't be stupefy. Knowing the impact of general anesthesia over intelligence is crucial so parents, teachers, and caregivers wouldn't freak out, thinking that their child becomes less smart. Instead, see this as a part of a process the child will eventually outlive, given enough time. Patience, support, and understanding when it comes to teaching the child will go a long way.


What is general anesthesia?

General anesthesia is given to a person to make him/her unconscious so he/she will not feel the pain of undergoing a surgical operation.


Resource:

Zhang, Q., et al. (2017). Long-duration general anesthesia influences the intelligence of school age children. BMC Anesthesiology. DOI 10.1186/s12871-017-0462-8