The Highest Form of Intelligence: Sarcasm Increases Creativity for Both Expressers and Recipients

•Sarcasm is an instigator of conflict but also a catalyst for creativity.•General forms of sarcasm promote creativity through abstract thinking for both expressers and recipients.•Expressing sarcasm to or receiving sarcasm from trusted others increases creativity without elevating conflict.•We manipulated sarcasm via a simulated conversation task and a recall task.•We employed three different creativity measures and a well-established measure of abstract thinking.