Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn\u2019t seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps, \u201cMy friend is dead! What can I\u00a0do?\u201d The operator says, \u201cCalm down. I\u00a0can help. First, let\u2019s make sure he\u2019s dead.\u201d There is a\u00a0silence, then a\u00a0shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says \u201cOK, now what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have just read what was voted the world\u2019s funniest joke in the 2001 edition of the LaughLab project. It had been submitted by a psychiatrist from Manchester, who explained that he sometimes told the joke to cheer up his patients, noting that \u201cit makes people feel better because it reminds them that there is always someone out there who is doing something more stupid than themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grasping one\u2019s sense of humor is no easy feat. Scientists have been discussing this topic for decades and they have already produced a few theories supposed to clarify why we find stuff funny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everybody knows some dumb blonde jokes or has laughed at least once in their lives when they saw another person slip and fall down. This kind of amusement\u2014perhaps the nastiest one out there\u2014is explained by the superiority theory of humor, according to which people feel pleasure when laughing at the misfortunes or mindlessness of others (Germans even have a special word for it: Schadenfreude<\/em>). The behavior of the patients treated by the psychiatrist mentioned above is based on this very pattern: they laugh at somebody else\u2019s stupidity and thus find a tad of consolation in their difficult condition. The superiority theory also covers all the racist jokes and those based on ethnic differences, in which case humor strengthens the bonds within a group. Still, the theory fails to explain why we don\u2019t laugh upon seeing a homeless person in the street or witnessing somebody else\u2019s harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The incongruity theory tackles the problem of humor in a different way: it assumes that amusement is a response to surprise or absurdity. This approach goes beyond the situation itself and highlights the skill of noticing that something is wrong. Therefore, the theory involves an evolutionary aspect; after all, finding incongruities in the world is a very useful ability and a sense of humor provides the necessary practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The winning joke certainly entails considerable surprise when the telephone operator asks the hunter to make sure that his friend is indeed dead. Most of us would probably rush to check breathing and pulse, but the hunter misinterprets the instructions and \u201cmakes sure\u201d in an unexpected yet undeniably effective way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n