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Four In Ten People Will Laugh At Anything

Posted by samzenpus on from the knock-knock dept.

Scientists at Washington State University have found that about four in ten of us will laugh at a bad joke, while less than one in 100 will voice displeasure. Researchers believe that we may be amused at being let down by the humor, and that we laugh at how bad a joke can actually be. Dr Nancy Bell made her findings after a team of colleagues told this joke to almost 200 people: "What did the big chimney say to the little chimney? Nothing. Chimneys can't talk." At last I understand how Dane Cook and Carrot Top have careers.

16 comments

  1. Tag by s1lverl0rd · · Score: 1, Funny

    I tagged this 'Funny'. Don't know why.

  2. Aristocrats by Thelasko · · Score: 1

    Ironically, I thought Carrot Top was the funniest person in the whole movie.

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    One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
  3. She should start by definging "funny" by Deathdonut · · Score: 1

    The joke that she used as a baseline test could easily be considered funny in the context it was given. Context such as expectations of the audience, empathy with the teller and private musings are all reasonable circumstances that can move a joke from "meh" to "lol".

    1. Re:She should start by definging "funny" by moderatorrater · · Score: 1

      Exactly. That joke has everything that it needs to be funny and could easily be taken as such. Humor is all about context and subtleties, the sorts of things that experiments would have a hard time quantifying. How to you quantify if someone's in a bad mood? Did they tell it to people in a group or individually? How would that affect the outcome?

      So I would go so far as to say that most experiments which analyze humor are worthless.

  4. bad != not funny by qwertphobia · · Score: 1

    Yeah, bad jokes can still be funny. Ask my kids, they hear them all the time!

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    Never ask for directions from a two-headed tourist! -Big Bird
  5. Humor- Ar Ar by KHAAAAAAAAAN · · Score: 1

    Umm, that joke was funny.

  6. This just in... by SeNtM · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This just in, 2 in 5 people can't reduce fractions. In a similar story, 10 in 25 people are mindless-twits and 40 in 100 people found this /. post amusing.

    --
    "There ought to be limits to freedom." -George W. Bush
    1. Re:This just in... by denzacar · · Score: 1

      If you shoot 10 people, but only kill 2 out of those 10, did you really only kill 1 out of 5?
      Or if you ask out 10 girls on a date, but end up having sex with 2 - would that be 4 dates you paid for dinner and a movie and just got a peck on the cheek in return or 8?

      You can't always reduce fractions if the size of the subset and superset are statistically of importance too.

      --
      Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
    2. Re:This just in... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes but this is talking about a set of 200. It's obviously a reduced fraction. They're saying about 40% of people will laugh at a "bad" joke.

      With respect to the shooting example:
      On average he killed 1 person for every 5 he shot.
      He killed 2 of the 10 people he shot.
      Those two sets of numbers do not convey the same information. The first conveys his lethality, the latter is a statement of dead:wounded. It's all in how you word it.

      I think they left it at 4/10 so people can look at it and say "oh, about 40%." Can't make people think too hard now.

  7. I disagree with her premise that this joke is bad. by Roger+Wilcox · · Score: 1

    What did the big chimney say to the little chimney? Nothing. Chimneys can't talk.

    This is not a bad joke. It is funny not because it is bad, but because the performer has exploited the audience's expectation that they are going to hear a joking response involving a conversation between chimneys. Instead, they hear a response that mocks them for buying into the ridiculous premise of the opener.

    A good deal of any joke's impact is in how it is delivered. This joke is no different. The key here is this: delivering the punchline with a heavy air of incredulity that the audience would take the prospect of conversing chimneys remotely seriously, even in the context of a joke. Add to that a hint of disdain at their gullibility, and it really is funny.

  8. Re:I disagree with her premise that this joke is b by pushing-robot · · Score: 1

    The key here is this: delivering the punchline with a heavy air of incredulity that the audience would take the prospect of conversing chimneys remotely seriously, even in the context of a joke. Add to that a hint of disdain at their gullibility, and it really is funny.

    Nah, that could never work.

    --
    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
  9. At anything? No, but... by VirusHead · · Score: 1

    A lot depends on the delivery. One method of comedy involves foiling expections, especially within the genre of the existential joke. Here's another: Why did the monkey fall out of the tree? Because it was dead.

  10. Hah-hah! by happy_place · · Score: 1

    Haha!!!

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    http://www.beanleafpress.com
  11. Humor is Relative by FenrirIII · · Score: 1

    If there's anything I've learn in my life it's that humor is relative. Depending on your age, race, and background you might find one comedian funnier than another. For me, humor is in the presentation and expectations.

    1. Re:Humor is Relative by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Yeah. After all, if you can't laugh at your relatives, you're an orphan.