What a Surprise: Sarcasm is 'Evidence of Maturity'

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"Oh, what a surprise!" What do you think this sentence means?  One of two possibilities appears to exist: either the person is genuinely astonished or they are being sarcastic. Using words that mean the opposite of what you truly mean to express is one of the most typical examples of sarcasm. "My daughter has left her socks on the floor again — what a surprise!" "The train is late again — what a surprise!"

Sarcasm can be an effective tool; it can provide some comedy while you wait for the train or it can help you manage your emotions when you want to toss those socks out the window. Sarcasm can even be more effective than literal honesty in some circumstances. However, it can be aggravating to be the target of this mockery. Teenage parents may be very familiar with this. But in an article for the BBC, scientific writer David Robson believes that anger might not be the greatest reaction to such sarcasm. Sarcasm is a linguistic skill that humans learn; Robson calls it "evidence of maturity." He explains that sarcasm is complex because it requires the child to comprehend both the literal and intended meanings of their statements. Making a literal statement is easier than this two-step mental process.

According to studies, kids don't comprehend basic sarcasm until they are 5 or 6 years old, and they don't recognize sarcasm as funny until they are 8 or 9 years old. Sarcasm, in the opinion of University of Calgary professor Penny Pexman, is a skill that should and can be taught. She even created a short narrative to teach kids between the ages of 4 and 7 how to detect it. This means that when your adolescent rolls their eyes and says, "Oh, I do so love hearing your opinions about my music," when they actually mean the opposite, it's a sign that their brain has developed and that they are maturing.