News in Brief Neuroscience

Sarcasm looks the same in the brain whether it’s words or emoji

No words needed to convey irony ;-)

winking emoji

WINK WINK  Brain activity linked to recognizing verbal sarcasm also spikes when reading a sentence that ends with a winky-face emoji.

vector_brothers/Shutterstock

By Laurel Hamers

- More than 2 years ago

SAN FRANCISCO — Millennials, rejoice: A winking-face emoji is worth a slew of ironic words. The brain interprets irony or sarcasm conveyed by an emoji in the same way as it does verbal banter, researchers reported March 26 in San Francisco at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society’s annual meeting.