The funniest joke ever is subjective and varies based on culture, gender, and age. The British comedy troupe Monty Python once performed a sketch about a joke so funny it could kill. A recent study found men prefer aggressive and dirty jokes, while women prefer puns. The joke that appealed to most groups involved a New Jersey hunter calling 911 after his friend falls to the ground. The delivery of a joke is just as important as the words themselves, and humor is subjective.
Considering all the diversity associated with humor, the funniest joke you’ve ever heard is probably a far cry from the funniest joke ever told. There have been numerous attempts over the years to quantify which joke is funnier, but these studies seem to divide along lines of culture, gender, and age. Some find physical humor superior, while others like clever puns or sexual innuendos. The funniest joke ever told to a seven-year-old may mean nothing to an 80-year-old woman, for example, which makes it much more difficult to pin down a joke that is universally accepted.
The British comedy troupe Monty Python once performed a sketch called “The Funniest Joke in the World” which beautifully illustrates the difficulty of seeking this joke. The premise of the sketch was the invention of a joke so hilarious that anyone who heard it would immediately die of laughter. When word of this killer prank reached the British Army, they ordered it translated into German for use as a battle weapon. Far from being the funniest joke, however, the actual joke is a nonsensical piece of fractured German: “Wenn ist das Nunstück git und Slotermeyer? Already! Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!” A very literal English translation: “When is the current piece (git) and (Slotermeyer)? Yes! (Beiher) dog that or pinball wood (gersput)!”
A more recent effort to quantify the funniest joke ever told has revealed many differences along cultural, age and gender lines. Men tended to enjoy more aggressive banter, along with so-called “dirty jokes” with sexual or scatological references. Women believed that the funniest prank involved puns or clever puns. Children tended to enjoy puzzles or obvious physical humor. According to the researchers, all of the test subjects recognized the humor in the following joke, enough to lead the researchers to conclude that this is the funniest joke ever told…
A couple of New Jersey hunters are in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn’t seem to be breathing; his eyes are rolled back into his head. The other takes out his cell phone and calls 911. He gasps at the operator: “My friend is dead! What can I do?” The operator, in a calm and reassuring voice, says: “Don’t worry. I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.” There is silence, then a shot is heard. The boy’s voice comes back on the line. He says, “OK, now what?”
This may or may not be the funniest joke ever told, but it appealed to nearly every group involved in the study. It could be argued that a joke benefits from the delivery as much as from the words themselves. An accomplished comedian might elicit more laughs from a less-than-great joke than the average person. An individual’s sense of humor is often shaped by unique life experiences and personalities, so there will always be a subjective element to choosing the funniest joke.
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