According to the researchers, firing off a sarcastic remark can spark creativity because you have to think abstractly, figuring out the distance between the literal and figurative meaning of what you're saying. And the same goes for receiving sarcasm, but only if you're in a trusting relationship with the person you're talking to. Otherwise, that sarcasm can create conflict, since it's always so hard to figure out tone when you don't know a person well."