The Lowest Form of Wit

The part of your brain which is responsible for your sarcasm detection is probably the left Brodmann's area 47.

"[S]arcasm detection activated the neural circuits involved in mentalizing processes, as well as those of the semantic executive system. This is consistent with the notion that pragmatic processes, such as sarcasm, are closely related to mentalizing functions (Frith and Frith, 2003). We suggest that the left BA 47 might be where mentalizing and language processes interact during sarcasm detection."

"Sarcasm detection activated the left temporal pole, the superior temporal sulcus, the medial prefrontal cortex, and the inferior frontal gyrus (Brodmann's area [BA] 47). The left BA 47 was activated more prominently by sarcasm detection than by the first sentence. These findings indicate that the detection of sarcasm recruits the medial prefrontal cortex, which is part of the mentalizing system, as well as the neural substrates involved in reading sentences."

( And if you fail to detect sarcasm? )

Ok. Back to topic. Ahem.