What makes people in different countries and of different sexes laugh? According to this article on global humor by Macha Sery of France’s Le Monde newspaper, a recent study on the subject concluded:
“All countries, or almost all, have made a specialty of mocking their leaders and their neighbors, territories or populations. … The best customers for jokes, whatever their nature, are the Germans, followed by the French, Danish and British. The Irish, British, Australians and New-Zealanders have a particular preference for jokes based on wordplay, while North Americans (United States and Canada) prefer gags based on superiority ‘complexes,’ either because a person appears stupid or is unwittingly made to look like it.”
So what’s the ‘funniest joke on earth?‘:
According to a survey carried out on 100,000 people from 70 countries, it was this: ‘Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He’s not breathing and his eyes are glassy. The other guy unsheathes his mobile phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps, ‘My friend is dead! What can I do?’ The operator says ‘Calm down. I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.’ There’s silence then a shot rings out. Back on the phone, the man says. “OK, now what?”
And according to the survey, what’s the best time of day to tell a a joke?:
“According to the British study, the best time to tell a funny story is on the 15th of the month at 6:30pm. It will seem irresistibly funny at that time, whereas it will flop at 1:30 in the morning and may provoke an echo of another involuntary noise: snoring!”
By Macha Sery
Translated By Alexandra Griffiths
August 9, 2009
France – Le Monde – Original Article (French)
An excellent supplement, a world tour of humor, was published on August 1 by the Courrier International. It was an excellent opportunity to point out again that from India to Argentina, laughter is something that is universally shared. However, one can never be certain that something considered humorous here [in France] will be found to be just as funny elsewhere.
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