Science Vs: The Funniest Joke in the World

Summary

Radiolab: Science Vs – "The Funniest Joke in the World"

Release Date: November 22, 2024

Hosts: Wendy Zuckerman and Latif Nasser
Guest: Professor Richard Wiseman, Cognitive Neuroscientist at University College London
Additional Contributions: Various comedians and researchers

---

Introduction: The Quest Begins

The episode kicks off with Wendy Zuckerman expressing her disappointment with the plethora of mediocre jokes found through a simple Google search. Determined to elevate the standard, she invites Radiolab’s Latif Nasser to join her on an ambitious journey: to scientifically uncover the funniest joke in the world.

Wendy Zuckerman [05:10]: “Google’s funniest jokes were absolute trash. Did you hear about the rancher who had 97 cows in his field? When he rounded them up, he had 100.”

Gathering Expert Opinions: Comedy is Subjective

Wendy and Latif consult several comedians to gauge the feasibility of their mission. The consensus is unanimous: comedy is inherently subjective, varying greatly across different cultures and individuals.

Comedian Takashi Wakasugi [06:31]: “Comedy is subjective. People have different opinions. That’s why being a comic is so hard.”

Even award-winning comic Penny Greenhalge remains skeptical about finding a universally accepted funniest joke, underscoring the challenge ahead.

Penny Greenhalge [07:37]: “No, I don’t think you will.”

The Scientific Blueprint: Richard Wiseman’s Experiment

To bring scientific rigor to their quest, Wendy introduces Professor Richard Wiseman, who shares his groundbreaking project aimed at identifying the world’s funniest joke. Wiseman recounts his initial pitch to the University of Hertfordshire, which led to the establishment of an online platform where individuals worldwide could submit and rate jokes.

Richard Wiseman [19:38]: “We’re going to search the world's funniest joke.”

Development of the Gigalometer

Wiseman’s team developed the “gigalometer,” a rating system ranging from 1 (not very funny) to 5 (absolutely hilarious), to quantify humor objectively.

Richard Wiseman [22:05]: “We refer to it as a gigalometer.”

Data Collection and the Rise of Dirty Jokes

As the experiment gained traction, an influx of entries followed. However, the team had to moderate submissions to maintain a family-friendly environment, removing overtly dirty jokes to preserve the study’s integrity.

Wendy Zuckerman [22:35]: "Richard had to remove the dirty jokes because this was a big family experiment."

Uncovering Patterns: The Science of Funny Words

Delving deeper, Wiseman’s research revealed fascinating patterns about what makes words and jokes funny. Certain sounds, particularly those with hard 'K' sounds like "clown" and "duck," were consistently rated as funnier. Additionally, words with unusual sound combinations or those that are less common tended to elicit more laughter.

Wendy Zuckerman [24:44]: “Certain sounds are funny, like anything with a hard K. So clown and duck and quack.”

Further studies by linguists showed that meanings also play a crucial role in humor. Words related to bodily functions or insults often ranked higher in funniness, aligning with global comedic trends where jokes frequently revolve around universal themes like sex, bodily functions, and family dynamics.

Wendy Zuckerman [30:28]: “It's not just the sounds; it's also the meanings. Rude words, words about body parts, and insults tend to be funnier.”

Cultural Perspectives: Humor Across the Globe

Understanding that humor varies across cultures, Wendy and Latif engage with international comedians to explore funny words in different languages. Egyptian comedian Mohammed Magdi highlights "kawka," the Arabic word for shell, noting its humorous phonetic composition.

Mohammed Magdi [28:03]: “If you just have two K's, like kawka, it’s funny.”

Similarly, Indian comedian Rooja Shvak discusses words like "chinchpokli," a neighborhood in Mumbai, emphasizing how the juxtaposition of sounds contributes to their humor.

Rooja Shvak [30:13]: “Chinchpokli is so funny because it combines thin and wide sounds in a unique way.”

Cross-Cultural Similarities and Differences

Wendy references a comprehensive study surveying humor across 28 countries, revealing both differences and surprising similarities. While certain cultures prefer self-deprecating humor or aggressive teasing, the overarching conclusion was that more similarities than differences exist in what people find funny globally.

Wendy Zuckerman [34:28]: “There are some differences, but ultimately, there are more similarities than differences in humor across countries.”

The Climactic Outcome: The "World’s Funniest Joke"

After a rigorous year-long experiment, Wiseman’s team amassed over 40,000 jokes with hundreds of thousands of ratings from 70 countries. The competition culminated in the selection of what was deemed the world’s funniest joke:

Richard Wiseman [37:23]: “There are two hunters out in the woods. One of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing. His eyes are glazed. His friend whips out his phone, calls emergency services. He says, ‘My friend is dead. What can I do?’ The operator says, ‘Calm down. I can help. First, let’s make certain he’s dead.’ There’s a silence, then a gunshot. And then the guy’s back on the phone. He says, ‘Okay, now what?’”

Mixed Reactions and Critical Insights

Upon sharing the joke with comedians, the feedback was mixed. While some found it passable, others criticized it for lacking genuine humor, highlighting the complex nature of comedic appreciation.

Comedian Jason Leong [38:03]: “That was a great joke.”

Comedian Jason Leong [38:03]: “But try harder.”

Wiseman himself expressed discomfort with the outcome, recognizing that the chosen joke did not align with traditional notions of humor despite its high ratings.

Richard Wiseman [38:50]: “It was living hell. After a while, I just refused to tell it.”

Analyzing the Winner: Theories of Humor

Despite its low entertainment value for some, the winning joke complies with several scientific theories of humor:

1. Surprise and Incongruity: The punchline presents an unexpected twist that defies the initial setup.

   Latif Nasser [40:11]: “Two fish in a tank. One turns to the other and says, ‘Do you know how to drive this?’”

2. Conceptual Bifurcation: This moment occurs when combining two unrelated contexts creates humor.

3. Superiority Theory: Although receptive to being somewhat “petty,” this theory suggests that laughter stems from feeling superior to the joke's subject.

4. Benign Violation Theory: The joke touches on threatening themes (death and murder) but presents them in a harmless context, making the violation benign.

Wendy Zuckerman [45:46]: “It was the joke that most people didn't hate. It’s so you can look at any one group... but the average joke is the average joke.”

Reflecting on the Experiment: Lessons Learned

Wendy and Latif discuss the limitations of Wiseman’s approach. The averaged joke, while statistically significant, failed to capture the essence of what makes a joke genuinely funny to diverse audiences. This underscores the inherent challenge in quantifying humor.

Wendy Zuckerman [46:45]: “Where we went wrong was starting that little downhill from there.”

Conclusion: Embracing Subjectivity in Humor

In the end, Wendy and Latif acknowledge that while the experiment provided valuable insights into the mechanics of humor, the subjective nature of comedy makes it elusive to universal capture. They conclude by embracing their personal favorite joke, appreciating the journey over the destination.

Latif Nasser [47:05]: “I'm very happy with, um. Take your face. I'm going to take out the garbage. Take your face.”

Wendy Zuckerman [47:22]: “We found your joke. We fulfilled our quest.”

---

Key Takeaways

• Subjectivity of Humor: Comedy varies widely across cultures and individuals, making a universal funniest joke nearly unattainable.

• Scientific Theories: Several theories, including surprise, incongruity, and benign violations, help explain why certain jokes elicit laughter.

• Cultural Nuances: While certain sounds and word combinations have universal appeal, cultural contexts heavily influence comedic preferences.

• Limitations of Quantification: Statistical methods can identify trends but may fail to capture the nuanced, emotional essence of humor.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Wendy Zuckerman [05:10]: “Google’s funniest jokes were absolute trash. Did you hear about the rancher who had 97 cows in his field? When he rounded them up, he had 100.”

• Richard Wiseman [37:23]: “There are two hunters out in the woods. One of them collapses...”

• Richard Wiseman [38:50]: “It was living hell. After a while, I just refused to tell it.”

• Wendy Zuckerman [45:46]: “It was the joke that most people didn't hate. It’s so you can look at any one group... but the average joke is the average joke.”

---

Final Thoughts

"The Funniest Joke in the World" episode of Radiolab's Science Vs masterfully blends humor with scientific inquiry, exploring the intricate dynamics that make us laugh. While the quest to find the ultimate joke concludes with unexpected challenges, it beautifully illustrates the complexity and diversity of human humor.

Transcript

[Latif Nasser]

Radiolab is supported by Dell Shop Dell Technologies Black Friday event for their lowest prices of the year. The Future is on sale today with limited time deals on select PCs like the XPS 16 that accelerate AI with Intel Core Ultra processors. Black Friday is their biggest sale of the year and the best time to upgrade. But it's only here for a limited time. Shop [e-mail] deals that's Dell. Radiolab is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. Radiolab is supported by the John Templeton foundation funding interdisciplinary research and catalyzing conversations designed to inspire awe and wonder. Dive deeply into the wonders of the Universe at templeton.org.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Listener support at WNYC studios.

[Latif Nasser]

Oh, wait, you're listening.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Okay. All right.

[Latif Nasser]

Okay.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

All right, you're listening. Listening to Radio Lab.

[Latif Nasser]

Radiolab from wnyc see. Hey, I'm Latif Nasser, this is Radiolab. A few months back, I got an email from the ever effervescent Wendy Zuckerman, who hosts the podcast Science Versus, Some of you might know it. And she invited me on her show. Now, if you don't know the show, every episode they take a subject. Could be, I don't know, like intermittent fasting or menopause or I think they did one on ghosts. They'll just pick a topic and then they'll dig up all the science they can find on it and they'll kind of go over it and they'll poke and prod it. How do we know what we know? What are a bunch of myths about this topic that we can bust? And then just in general, they try to make some sort of deeper sense of the thing so you know, whether to do it or not to do it, or to avoid it or to be scared of it or not be scared of it or whatever. Like it helps you live your life. That's kind of the end. So anyway, when Wendy invited me, I was like, of course I'm going to come on your show. She told me very little of what we were going to do in advance. And so I just kind of showed up and I had a blast. It was strange and fun and funny and I was like, okay, I want to share this with all the radiolabbers too. So here it is, an episode of Science Versus featuring yours truly.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Hi, I'M Wendy Zuckerman and you're listening to Science Verses. Today on the show, we're pitting facts against funniest. Today we are going on a ridiculous journey together. Today it's a quest. It's like we're going to be heroes on this epic adventure. And at times things might get a little rude, a little naughty, just in case there's kids listening. But before we go any further, like all heroes journeys, we're gonna need a companion. You know, like Robin to Batman, Samwise Gamgee to Frodo Baggins, Buzz to Woody. And our companion today is a man who has gone on a great many scientific quests. He's traveled the world. Put one foot in front of the other. I give you co host of Radiolab, Latif Nasser. Hello.

[Latif Nasser]

Hi. Thank you for having me. And I'm honored to be the Frodo to your Batman or whatever is the. I'm honored to be here.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So do you want to know our mission?

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Okay. We're going to find the funniest joke in the world.

[Latif Nasser]

Wow, that sounds dangerous.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Wow. I know, I know it sounds dangerous. It sounds big. But I'm going to keep it safe. I'm going to keep it safe. And you might be thinking, why? Why are we doing this? So I wanted to tell you the origin story to this hero's journey. Okay. Right. And it doesn't get much bigger than this. So the other day I was feeling a little bit sad, I wanted a little pick me up. So I went to Google, the world's funniest joke.

[Latif Nasser]

Right?

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And you know what I got?

[Latif Nasser]

What?

[Wendy Zuckerman]

It was trash. It was absolute trash.

[Latif Nasser]

Sure.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Like I'm, you know. Did you hear about the rancher who had 97 cows in his field? When he rounded them up, he had 100.

[Latif Nasser]

Oh, that was not even. That's real bad.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yeah, that's okay.

[Latif Nasser]

So I solemn, like you could tell that at a funeral.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

I was like, this is making me feel worse. So I kept trying different search terms and then I got crap like this. What has many keys but can't open a single lock?

[Latif Nasser]

What has many keys but can't open a single lock?

[Wendy Zuckerman]

A piano.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah. I mean that to me, that's not a joke. That's like a riddle. Or like it makes sense.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

That's a riddle. It like belongs in Lord of the Rings, right? Like, it's like. That's not.

[Latif Nasser]

It's not a joke.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

It's not a joke. It's not even close to a joke. And so I just thought we could do better. You know, using research and rigor, you and me, we could do better. We could find the best joke in the world. Okay.

[Latif Nasser]

You know, there are other things that could cheer you up. Like, I mean, sugar, antidepressants, a hug.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

That's true.

[Latif Nasser]

There's like a lot of other things that you could do, but just not to. I'm not judging your life for anything.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

No, no, that's. Do you think Googling the funniest joke probably wasn't like a long term solution?

[Latif Nasser]

Not a long term solution to your problems? Yeah, that's basically where I'm coming from. But I thought you thought it was.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Couldn't hurt. Okay. So to start us off, I wanted to know if it was even possible to find the funniest joke in the world. So I asked a bunch of comedians this very question.

[Latif Nasser]

Okay, great.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So here are their answers. So this is what us comedian Tig Notaro, brilliant comedian. Yes. Said she was not optimistic. Do you think we can find this joke?

[Molly Webster]

Sure.

[Latif Nasser]

Over and over and over again.

[Molly Webster]

Because it's going to be different opinions, you know?

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And Takashi Wakasugi, who's from Japan, agreed with Tig, saying, you know, comedy is subjective. People have different opinions. That's why being a comic is so hard. And he said, you know, in many ways telling a joke, it's like having sex.

[Latif Nasser]

We wanna, we wanna make you feel better. We do always do our best.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Right.

[Latif Nasser]

But sometimes we don't know what you.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Want, what you like. Right.

[Latif Nasser]

And some people make noise if you like it and some people don't make noise even though if they enjoy it. Yeah, this is hard. This is hard.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yeah, it's hard. Right. And then so I asked my very good friend who's an award winning comic in Australia, Penny Greenhalge, and I just like really thought I'd get a supportive answer here. Do you think I can do it? No.

[Latif Nasser]

No, Penny, I don't know.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

I think. I reckon you'll try your hardest. Let's try again. That was good. So good at second take. Okay, so do you think I can do it? Wendy, I'm your friend and as your friend, I'm going to be honest with you. Yeah, I don't think you will. Mm. With friends like that.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Latif, I could see your face dropping.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

You know, but I just want you to know that some comics were on Team Batman and Frodo. Team Wendy and Latif.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Like, here's what Malaysian comic Dr. Jason Leong said.

[Latif Nasser]

Uh huh. Okay.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Wow. I suppose technically it's possible.

[Latif Nasser]

I suppose technically, it's possible. That's a ringing endorsement.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

He even had a strategy for us. He said, get a few jokes, get a big enough sample size voting system going across the world. Thought we could do it. Emmy Award winner Lonnie Love, in fact, had so much optimism for us that she even gave us our first clue. It's just something simple that people usually laugh at, and it's right there in front of your face, you know, it's right there and it's something that everybody can laugh at.

[Latif Nasser]

It's funny because, like, to the critique of the premise was this is too complicated, right? Yes. And then this solution for the quest, like, is just go simple.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Go simple.

[Latif Nasser]

Which I think is right. Yeah, I think that's right. Because, like, even if there's no such thing as the perfect joke, there is somewhere, the joke that more of the 8 billion people on planet Earth will laugh at than any other joke. Do you know what I mean?

[Wendy Zuckerman]

I think so. I think so. I think it. Yeah, that's right. Even if everyone in the world doesn't find it funny, it's still, it's still, it's helping lots of people.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah, yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Put a smile on their face, you know.

[Latif Nasser]

Yes, yes. Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

There must be something.

[Latif Nasser]

There's gotta be.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Okay. With this enthusiasm, with this, with this mindset, our hunt for the funniest joke in the world begins.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And it's coming up just after this break.

[Molly Webster]

My name is Molly Webster and I'm the senior correspondent at Radiolab. I host some episodes, I do like series, but mostly I'm just doing a lot of reporting. And so my job is to just basically get like mini master's degrees. Every week that I work on the show, I've got a mini master's in butterflies, the moon, strange organs, thymus, placenta, black holes. Oh, smoke for sure. Covid. I'm gonna give myself a whole PhD for that. Maybe a postdoc in, like sex development and biology. There are like some honorary degrees that happen sometimes in two hours, depending with time pressure. I like to sort of rack up my mini degrees because I feel like we all specialize and we all have our little corners of the world, but most people just don't have time to leave those corners. And so I think one of the great things about the show and my job is that we get to bring people into all of these spaces that might never be open to them, just based on logistics, just based on time, and we're able to do this because of you. Radiolab exists thanks to the ears and minds and generosity of our listeners. Your support allows us to keep expanding my world and your world and the worlds of people that you'll never meet. If you like what we do and getting these mini Masters with us, the best way to support the show is to become a member of the Lab. When you join the Lab, you not only support the entire show and the work we make, but you also get access to members only perks and benefits like ad free listening, bonus content, our full archive merch. Such good merch and so much more. So become a member so we can all get our little mini Master's degrees and go out into the world and talk about science and humans and just understand this big crazy universe that we live in. To join go to radiolab.org join.

[Latif Nasser]

Radiolab is supported by Lumen, the world's first handheld metabolic coach that measures your metabolism through your breath. And on the app, it lets you know if you're burning fat or carbs and gives you tailored guidance to improve your nutrition, workouts, sleep and even stress management. All you have to do is breathe into your lumen first thing in the morning and you'll know what's going on with your metabolism, whether you're burning mostly fats or carbs. Then Lumen gives you a personalized nutrition plan for that day based on your measurements. You can also breathe into it before or after workouts or meals so you know exactly what's going on in your body in real time. And Lumen will give you tips to keep you on top of your health game. So if you want to stay on track with your health this holiday season, go to Lumen Me radiolab to get 15% off your lumen, that is L u m e n me Radiolab for 15% off your purchase. Radiolab is supported by the John Templeton foundation, funding interdisciplinary research and catalyzing conversations designed to inspire awe and wonder. Dive deeply into the wonders of the [e-mail] Radiolab is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart Choice make another smart choice with Auto Quote Explorer to compare rates from multiple car insurance companies all at once. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy. Latif Here with Wendy Zuckerman presenting Science Versus.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Welcome back. Today on the show, our biggest challenge yet to find the funniest joke in the world. We're here with Latif Nasser. How are you feeling about our chances at this point, you know, not.

[Latif Nasser]

I wouldn't bet for us, but I wouldn't bet against us.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

That is very ambiguous. That's great. Do you have a joke to enter into our Funniest Joke competition?

[Latif Nasser]

Okay, so this is the thing that my 2 year old said. This is like a few months ago, and it alternately makes me laugh and, like, kind of, like horrifies me. Okay? So one day I was going out, he was sitting, he was playing, like, just by the door, and I was going out and I was like, okay, bud, like, I'm going to take out the garbage. And he goes, why don't you take your face? That was it. He, like, completely roasted me. Like, no, nothing, nothing before it. Nothing that, like, nowhere. Why don't you take your face with the garbage? Cause your face is garbage is what he's saying to me. My son, my own son, my own flesh and blood.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

That's pretty good. That's pretty good. Take your face. Our first entry into the world's Funniest Joke competition. Okay, but now we have our first scientific guest here, and she is gonna set the stakes to tell us how important our quest is. Our quest to find the funniest joke in the. So meet Sophie Scott.

[Richard Wiseman]

I'm a professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

This fancy person, as part of her work, researches laughter. And she told me that there is a gaggle or giggle of research out there that shows why laughing matters. So what's curious is that we, as humans, we're not the only animals to laugh. Rats do a kind of playful vocalization that is if you tickle them just right. What you need to do to tickle a rat is you need to tickle them on the nape of the neck. That's where they're really ticklish. So they're just sort of between the shoulder blades. Primates, like chimps, do a laugh, chimpanzees laugh.

[Richard Wiseman]

It sounds very like our laughter.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

It's like a kind of sound. This is an actual chimp laughing. Isn't her impersonation very good?

[Latif Nasser]

She did great. Yeah, yeah. That was spot on.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

But even though there are other creatures out there that do a kind of laugh, there are things that are very special about our human laughter. And one of them is this.

[Richard Wiseman]

Humans laugh loud. We laugh to be heard. We broadcast our laughter.

[Latif Nasser]

What a weird sort of obnoxious thing. Like for us humans, like, we're the loud laughers of the animal kingdom. Like, what a weird thing.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

I'm desperately trying to laugh quietly right.

[Latif Nasser]

Now at this moment, but like imagine like on Noah's Ark or whatever. It's like we're the ones laughing and everyone else like, oh, God, like, we get it. Like, you're having fun.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

We're all having fun.

[Latif Nasser]

Just going, that's right. Right. We're just doing it breathy and over here and to ourselves. And you just, like, really are rubbing it in.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yes, yes, but that is. I mean, that is exactly what we think the evolutionary purpose of this is, is to, like, show that we are laughing and pop, possibly to get others laughing too, to bring joy. Because we're the only animals, as far as science knows, that have contagious laughter. So if I start laughing, you're more likely to start laughing. We're way more likely to laugh when other people are around versus when we're alone.

[Latif Nasser]

Right.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And Sophie has found that when it comes to jokes, the power of laughter is so strong that it can turn a terrible joke into a funnier joke. So she actually did this study where she got some jokes.

[Richard Wiseman]

We took real stinkers, like, what's the best day for cooking Friday?

[Latif Nasser]

Oh, yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So she got these terrible. These stinkers, as she puts it, these terrible jokes. And she found that just by adding a laugh, people would rate these stinkers as funnier.

[Latif Nasser]

Huh.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And for Sophie, this, like, all shows that laughter is playing this, like, really important role in connecting people.

[Richard Wiseman]

So there really is something very basic about the ability of laughter, perhaps to jump the gaps between humans.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Latif, if we could find a joke to get the whole world laughing, I mean, we'd be Nobel Prize winners, or at least like IG Nobel Prize winners.

[Latif Nasser]

Yes.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Okay, so with that in mind, with the stakes truly set for this quest.

[Latif Nasser]

Yep.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Now we've just got to find this joke. Okay, but where to start?

[Latif Nasser]

Where to start?

[Wendy Zuckerman]

I kept pottering around on the Internets, even though that did not give me the funniest joke. But it did bring me to this fella. Richard Wiseman, a professor of psychology at the University at Hertfordshire in the uk.

[Latif Nasser]

Notoriously funny university.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

It's very well known and it's Shire. Shire for our quest.

[Latif Nasser]

Oh, that's right. Okay, great. Okay, I'm in, I'm in.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So in the early 2000s, Richard was asked to come up with this big science public project. It was for a fancy British science associated. And he cannot think of anything. But as he's walking through the doors.

[Richard Wiseman]

Of the meeting, this idea just popped into my head, which was the search for the world's funniest joke.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Twinsies.

[Latif Nasser]

Twinsies.

[Richard Wiseman]

And that was my pitch. I simply sat down and said, we're going to search the world's funniest joke. And they went, that's a great idea. Let's do that. Which I didn't expect them to say, to be honest.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

This is. Well, this is quite funny. So I explained our situation.

[Latif Nasser]

Our situation, of course.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

I pitched my editor that we're gonna find the world's funniest joke. And I didn't know how to do this. I mean, now all we have, I guess, is some, like, crappy joke about pianos and keys, you know? But that's not funny.

[Richard Wiseman]

No, that's not the funniest joke in the world. Wouldn't it be sad if that was the funniest joke in the world? If everyone went, oh, my God, it's the piano joke. We love that.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Exactly.

[Latif Nasser]

So.

[Richard Wiseman]

Exactly. Well, the experience that you had pitching to your editor was the one that I had all those years ago.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yes.

[Richard Wiseman]

So I go back to the team at the University of Hertfordshire. I said, we're going to find the world's funniest joke. And they went, great. How are we going to do that? And I said, I've got no idea. I didn't get that far in the pitch. We've got nothing, basically.

[Latif Nasser]

Okay. Very relatable. I like this guy a lot, although I have no idea what he's going to do.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Okay. Well, then they come up with a plan, a radical plan.

[Latif Nasser]

Okay, radical.

[Richard Wiseman]

For the 2000s, we decided people would come onto the Internet, the newly formed Internet. They would. They would type in their favorite joke and submit it, and they would rate the joke submitted by others. And nowadays you go, well, of course you could do that. You could do it with people all over the world. But back then, there wasn't a way of collecting data via the web.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Right. So Richard's team actually has to develop a website from scratch that could do all this, where people could come online, submit jokes, or they'd be given different jokes, and then they would rate how funny they are. So they get this website done, and now they just need to get some publicity, because this whole experiment is hinging on lots of people going onto the website. Like a big enough sample size to submit jokes and rate them.

[Latif Nasser]

Right.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

But it turns out getting publicity was not a problem because once news outlets around the world found out about this competition, they lapped it up and it goes viral.

[Richard Wiseman]

It goes all over the world, that scientists are searching for the world's funniest joke. What makes one person laugh could make the next person cringe. The search is now on to find the world's funniest joke. There was a lot of pressure. There was a lot of pressure. My goodness. Going to find the world's funniest joke.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And so people rated the jokes on a gigalometer.

[Richard Wiseman]

Yeah, we refer to it as a gigalometer.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

A gigalometer. Gigalometer.

[Richard Wiseman]

Gigalometer. And it was very scientific. It had five ratings on it, from not very funny, which would be the piano joke would be not very funny, through to moderately funny, and then on to absolutely hilarious.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Okay, so the ranking is one to five.

[Latif Nasser]

Okay.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Totally. Working people are coming onto the site in droves.

[Latif Nasser]

Great.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Very early on, people start putting dirty jokes onto the website. Of course.

[Latif Nasser]

But then Richard Rich has to be okay with that. No, he's not.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

No. So in this experiment, they actually removed the dirty jokes because this was a big family experiment, unlike.

[Latif Nasser]

Okay.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Science versus.

[Latif Nasser]

Okay. Oh, oh, got it. So you're doing. You're doing all the. All the way. All the jokes.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

We could do all. Yeah. But Richard removes. Removes the rude jokes.

[Latif Nasser]

Okay.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

But then as the competition is trucking along.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

One day, Richard checks in with the team, and he sees this joke that would send him. And now us on a rather interesting path, almost like the endless stairs to cross into Mordor.

[Latif Nasser]

Okay, okay.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So here's the joke.

[Richard Wiseman]

Two cows in the field. One turns to the other and says, moo. And the other one says. I was going to say that.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Not bad. Not bad.

[Richard Wiseman]

Oh, old joke. That's probably a two or a three on the gigalometer.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah, Yeah, I would agree. That's two or three.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So clearly that's not going to be the winner of either Richard's competition or ours. But it did make Richard think, wait a sec. Could we do an experiment within an experiment?

[Latif Nasser]

Huh.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So Richard wonders, like, what if we tried out different versions of this cow joke by switching up the animals? And could this tell us something deeper about why one joke is funny and one joke isn't?

[Latif Nasser]

Oh, yeah.

[Richard Wiseman]

So you could have two lions. One turns the other in, roars, and the other says. I was gonna say that.

[Latif Nasser]

Less funny. That's less funny. Interesting.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Interesting. Okay. Okay. So other ones, they tried two birds going cheep, cheep. Two ducks. One says quack. Then there's two dogs. Woof. Woof. I was going to say that.

[Latif Nasser]

No, that's not funny. No, maybe that's funny. Maybe that's funny. But not because of the noise, but because dogs are so relatable. Mm.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Okay. So. So Richard puts a bunch of these jokes into the database when people come on, they might be randomly given one of those jokes. So which. Which do you think is the funniest?

[Latif Nasser]

Quack. Quack. Yes, it was.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

That was the winner.

[Latif Nasser]

Dam. Okay.

[Richard Wiseman]

Two ducks. One says quack, and the other one says. I was gonna say that.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So the big question is, why is duck quacking so funny?

[Latif Nasser]

Okay. And why?

[Richard Wiseman]

And it turned out that ducks and quack are funny words.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And so what is it about duck and quack? Why are they funny? And the answer lies in this fabulously named paper. Wriggly, squiffy, lummox and boobs. What makes some words funny?

[Latif Nasser]

Nice.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And here's what they did. They used this survey data where hundreds of people had been asked to rate the funniness of thousands of English words, and they used basically the equivalent of the gigalometer. So you want to play?

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah. Yeah, definitely.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Juju.

[Latif Nasser]

Juju is funny. Yeah. Juju.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Chauffeur.

[Latif Nasser]

Chauffeur.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Chauffeur.

[Latif Nasser]

Not funny.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Orgy.

[Latif Nasser]

Orgy. Not funny.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Holder.

[Latif Nasser]

Holder.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Holder.

[Latif Nasser]

Not funny. Holder is the least funny word you've said.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

I don't know why that makes me laugh so much. It's such a dumb.

[Latif Nasser]

No, because Holder is so functional.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yeah. Yeah, it is. And, you know, he basically picked the right order. So of the words I gave you, juju was ranked as the highest. The funniest word. Then orgy, which in this study, it was actually considered pretty funny. Chauffeur came after that. And Holder. Not funny at all.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Okay.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So the researchers then pored over this data set to create an algorithm for funny words that they then applied to more than 45,000 English words. And I actually have the Excel spreadsheet right here if you want to throw out any words.

[Latif Nasser]

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Um, I'm almost more curious. What are the words at the very bottom of the list?

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Okay. Very interestingly, I. The least funny word, according to this study is harassment.

[Latif Nasser]

Harassment. That makes me want to make a joke where the punchline is harassment, doesn't it?

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So the researchers, like, really swam in that data to try and see patterns as to what is funny and what is not. And one thing that really came up is that certain sounds are funny, like.

[Richard Wiseman]

K, anything with a hard K. So clown and duck and quack.

[Latif Nasser]

Duck and quack. Both of them have a K, Right?

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And it's funny because this comedy K. So there's an episode of the Simpsons about it. Like, comedians know about this. There's a. A 30 rock has a joke about it.

[Latif Nasser]

Oh, really? Last year, Jenna Accused me of trying to destroy her because her lines didn't have any K sounds, which she thinks is the funniest sound. Oh, my God. My cousin Carl crashed his car and now he's in a coma at the Kendall Clinic. That was good.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Now, as far as I could tell, no one has repeated this experiment in a non English language.

[Latif Nasser]

Mm.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And because we're looking for the funniest joke in the world.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

I wanted to ask comics about this in other languages. So we're kind of stuck with anecdotes, unfortunately. But I asked Egyptian comic Mohammed Magdi what is a funny word in Arabic?

[Latif Nasser]

Oh, great.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And this is what he said. I think the word for shell, like the shell that you find on the beach, is quite funny. It's called kawka. Kawka. Yeah, yeah. So if you just. Two K's.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Two Ks.

[Latif Nasser]

There you go.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Actually, you're right.

[Latif Nasser]

Oh, my God. Science does work.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Ah. What? So other sounds in English that are funny.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Oo. Oo sounds. So, like booby.

[Latif Nasser]

Whoop, booby. Yeah, sure.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

As well as words ending in Y and l, so like giggle and waddle are also funny. As a general rule, letters and sounds that aren't very common tend to rate as funnier. So K sound is pretty rare. And also, like, if you have this, like, weird collection of sounds in a word that tends to be funny. So I talked about this with comedian Tig Notaro. So we were talking about funny words, and she said, a co host on her podcast, Handsome, said this one day, bulbous frog.

[Molly Webster]

And I couldn't move on.

[Latif Nasser]

I said, I'm sorry, we have to go back.

[Molly Webster]

What do you. What do you mean a bulbous frog?

[Latif Nasser]

Also, the delivery of this word, it kept like, yes.

[Molly Webster]

And the bulbous frog. And it was so bulbous.

[Latif Nasser]

And I was like, stop saying that word like, it made me sick to my stomach. But I also recognized it as a funny word.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yes. And according to the Wrigley Squiffy paper, bulbous does rank pretty high.

[Latif Nasser]

All right, huh? Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So I kept looking for clues in other languages as to what words might be funny.

[Latif Nasser]

So smart. So smart.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So I talked to Indian comic Rooja Shvak about this. She won the Best newcomer at Edinburgh last year. SHE SPEAKS Hindi. She's performed all over India. And she told me that there are a few words that often get a laugh. There's this word called chinchpokli, which is. Yeah, that's very funny. It's really funny. It's a chinchpokli. Chinchpakli. It's a place. It's a place. Chinchpocli. Chinchpocli. And every time someone says it does have a K. Right? Chinchpocli. Yes, you're right. But that's not why it's funny, Right? I don't. Maybe it's. It's the chinch.

[Richard Wiseman]

Yes.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

It's so thin and then the porkli is so wide and you're like, why did you put that together?

[Richard Wiseman]

Chinch.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Porkley. Chinch. Buckley.

[Latif Nasser]

Chinch.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Pokeli. Chinch. Porkhole. Right.

[Latif Nasser]

Oh, so good. Satisfying.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

It's a neighborhood in Mumbai. Now, what makes words funny isn't just their sounds, it's also their meanings. So in English, the study found that rude words, words about body parts and bodily functions, insult words also rate as funny.

[Latif Nasser]

Right.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So this the thing with insulting words being funny, it seems to track in India too. So Rooj told me about one more and we're about to get a little bit rude here.

[Latif Nasser]

Great.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Is oo funny in India? Oo is funny. I think oo is funny. Gu. Oh, my God, the word gu is so funny. And gu basically means shit. And so the eat shit in Hindi is gukha, and that usually gets a laugh. So after the break, we're going to hear the winner of Richard's experiment. And will we find the funniest joke in the world?

[Latif Nasser]

Who knows? Who knows? Could go either way. Could go either way here. Radiolab is supported by Lumen, the world's first handheld metabolic coach that measures your metabolism through your breath. And on the app, it lets you know if you're burning fat or carbs and gives you tailored guidance to improve your nutrition, workouts, sleep and even stress management. All you have to do is breathe into your Lumen first thing in the morning and you'll know what's going on with your metabolism, whether you're burning mostly fats or carbs. Then Lumen gives you a personalized nutrition plan for that day based on your measurements. You can also breathe into it before or after workouts or meals so you know exactly what's going on in your body in real time. And Lumen will give you tips to keep you on top of your health game. So if you want to stay on track with your health this holiday season, go to lumen me/radiolab to get 15% off your lumen, that is L u m e n me Radiolab for 15% off your purchase. Radiolab is supported by the John Templeton foundation, funding interdisciplinary research and catalyzing conversations Designed to inspire awe and wonder. Dive deeply into the wonders of the [e-mail] Radiolab is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart Choice. Make another smart choice with Auto Quote Explorer to compare rates from multiple car insurance companies all at once. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy. Hi, I'm Alexis Ohanian. You may know me as one of the co founders of Reddit, but more recently, a large part of my identity is being a father to my wonderful daughters. In my podcast Business Dad, I hope to open the conversation about working parents a bit. You'll get to hear from a wide range of business dads, from Rainn Wilson and Guy Raz to Todd Carmichael and Shane Battier to find out how they balance being a dad with a successful career. Business dad is available now, so be sure to listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

We're back on our grand quest to find the funniest joke in the world. I'm your dungeon master and my paladin is Latif Nasser. Hello.

[Latif Nasser]

Hi.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So as we're on this journey for the funniest joke in the world, one potential hiccup in our plan is if different countries and cultures have vastly different senses of humor. And this is something you hear talked about. Like, even when I was living in New York, people would like to talk about how Australians have such a different sense of humor to Americans. And so I looked into the research on this.

[Latif Nasser]

Right.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And one big study published a few years ago that had done surveys on 28 countries, you know, thousands and thousands of people, and they did find, like, people from Indonesia and Japan tended to use self disparaging humor, so making fun of themselves. While Russia and Estonia scored high on aggressive humour that might involve belittling or teasing others.

[Latif Nasser]

Mm.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So there are some differences. But the thing is, for all these, like, gulfs that scientific papers like to highlight, the research paper ultimately concluded that there are, quote, more similarities than differences across the countries.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah, yeah, I believe that. I believe that. Yeah, I think that's right.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yeah. Yeah. And some of the comedians that I spoke to about, you know, finding the funniest joke in the world said that as long as we make sure our joke isn't, it doesn't have like, very specific cultural references in it, like talking about the politics of a specific country or town or whatever. Yeah, as long as we stick to universal themes, sex, bodily fluids, family dynamics, like we're gonna up our chances of.

[Latif Nasser]

Finding this joke, but which is why bodies are so. Yeah, Bodies, work bodies. Animals.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yeah, I like that. I like that. So now let's fast forward to the end of Richard Wiseman's experiment. A year has passed. He's gotten 40,000 jokes, hundreds of thousands of ratings from 70 countries. And Richard told me that by the end of the experiment, it was really clear that this competition was over.

[Richard Wiseman]

You could see the same jokes coming in again and again. If I read what's brown and sticky? A stick.

[Latif Nasser]

Oh, yeah.

[Richard Wiseman]

If I read that one more time every morning, three or four people to put that in.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

How was it? Did it write well?

[Richard Wiseman]

No, no, no, no. It was always down there with pianos. It was so. It never did well.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And funnily enough, 20 years later, we did a call out on social media, and this brown and sticky joke came up over and over again.

[Latif Nasser]

Wow.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Okay. So, Latif, are you ready to hear the winner of Richard's competition?

[Latif Nasser]

Yes.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Richard, do you want to do a little drum roll, by the way? I just feel like. Sure. Bing.

[Richard Wiseman]

There are two hunters out in the woods. One of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing. His eyes are glazed. His friend whips out his phone, calls the emergency services. He says, my friend is dead. What can I do? The operator says, calm down. I can help. First, let's make certain he's dead. There's a silence, then a gunshot. And then the guy's back on the phone. He says, okay, now what?

[Latif Nasser]

That was good. That was good. I liked it.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So I told it to a bunch of our comedians.

[Latif Nasser]

Okay.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

To rather mixed reviews.

[Latif Nasser]

Okay, okay, okay. Let's hear it. That's a great joke.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Just dumb. Yeah. Yeah. That's the winner.

[Latif Nasser]

Really?

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Really. If you had that, like a funniest joke in the world. F. A bad joke. What? Are you rating it? I will give it. I will. I will give it a passing grip. It passes as a joke. Wow. It passes as a joke. Like, that's where it gets. You were aware it's a joke. It's a joke.

[Latif Nasser]

Well done.

[Richard Wiseman]

But try harder.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

You know what I mean? That last harsh critique is comedian Jason Leong. I was on his side. So when Richard first told me this hunter joke, this was my reaction. What? How is that the funniest joke in the world?

[Latif Nasser]

Oh, wow.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Why did you. You didn't mind it? You don't mind it.

[Latif Nasser]

I didn't mind it. I mean, maybe I'm a cheap laugh. It's kind of wholesome. Even though it's about death. Murder. It's like a wholesome murder joke. You know, it's funny.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

I asked Richard what he thought about it. What did you. How did you feel when your colleagues came to you and were like, this is the winner, and you read that? What went through your mind?

[Richard Wiseman]

Horror. Because I knew I would have to go on radio and television and tell that joke as the world's funniest joke. And I knew it wasn't funny. And it was just. We must have done 50 interviews when that came out. And each time, you sort of grind through. It's a long joke as well. It's not a short joke. You grind through this joke knowing it's not funny, having just told everyone that they found the world's funniest joke. It was living hell. After a while, I just refused to tell it.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

But what's funny is that, like, even though it didn't make me laugh and Richard doesn't really like it. Like, when you look at the scientific theories of humor, this Hunter joke actually ticks a lot of boxes. Okay, so let's take a look at these scientific theories of humor.

[Latif Nasser]

Okay, great.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

One of the biggest theories of humor is that you need a surprise. So perhaps something incongruous. So here's comedian Lonnie Lover. It's something that you didn't expect. That's what makes you laugh, because your mind is thinking one way, and you go a whole nother corner or avenue. That is what makes people laugh. And that's the science of the joke. So Richard gave me an example of this, which I actually quite like as a joke.

[Latif Nasser]

Okay.

[Richard Wiseman]

Two fish in a tank. One turns to the other and says, do you know how to drive this?

[Latif Nasser]

Love it. Love it.

[Richard Wiseman]

So we have fish and a tank. We think it's a fish tank, and then we find out they're in an army tank. That's incongruous. It surprises us. We laugh.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So one paper called this conceptual bifurcation, which is that moment where you realize that something that you thought belonged to just one category, a tank is something that only a fish would hang out in, actually belongs to two categories. An army tank, too. Ha, ha. And so the Hunter joke obviously has this as well. The moment you realize, first, let's make certain he's dead. Actually has two meanings. And then it's a funny surprise. Right.

[Latif Nasser]

That was a funny joke. Yeah. Also, conceptual bifurcation. I feel like both of those words would rank very low on your spreadsheet. That's like a very unfunny. That's like the unfunniest phrase you could fine to describe a joke.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yeah. It's like barely above harassment, right?

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah, yeah, completely.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Studies have actually put people into brain scanners and presented them with jokes and found that certain areas associated with language get really, really excited when we hear these kinds of jokes, which makes a lot of sense because there's a lot of brain work involved in putting these two concepts together for that beautiful aha moment.

[Latif Nasser]

Right, Right.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Adam Conover of most famously, Adam ruins everything. He's also stand up. And he says that this surprise can come in different forms. So it doesn't have to be that you were expecting a joke to go in one direction and then it goes somewhere else. It could be that someone explains something in a way that you never thought of before.

[Latif Nasser]

My own personal theory that I use to write jokes is that something is funny when a truth is combined with a surprise, when people have a shock of recognition that they did not expect.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So, you know, the very classic joke.

[Latif Nasser]

Is, you know, a piece of observational comedy. You know, have you ever noticed that airplane food is X whatever it is.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Right.

[Latif Nasser]

And if you have in fact noticed that, but no one has ever said that to you before, then you will likely laugh.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Right. But surprise can't explain everything about comedy, because things can be surprising and not funny at all. And on the flip side, researchers found that even when there is no surprise, like in some studies, people have been told a joke before, or even if they're asked, like, can you predict the punchline of this joke? People still find it funny and sometimes even funnier. And I told Tig Notaro the hunter joke it was kind of funny because this was her reaction, saw it coming.

[Latif Nasser]

Still found it amusing. Oh, yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So if there's more to a zinger than surprise, what else have we got? Superiority theory. So here's Richard on that.

[Richard Wiseman]

A laugh is a kind of cry of superiority. You made somebody else look silly or put them down and that you're going, yes, I'm better than them.

[Latif Nasser]

That's so depressing. Actually, that's like a very depressing.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

It is a very depressing form. And it does explain some jokes because, like, in so many cultures, there are these jokes about what some researchers call, like, the full towns. So. Or full places. Like, so in Australia, if you start a joke with, like, two Tasmanians walk into a bar.

[Latif Nasser]

Got it. In Canada, it's Newfoundlanders.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yeah, Right. So in the uk, maybe they make fun of the Irish. In Ireland, maybe they make fun of the Kerrymen. In France, the Belgians.

[Latif Nasser]

Right.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And it goes beyond time. So I was reading about this paper that said in ancient Greece, it was Abderra, the town of Abderra. You know, the two Abderans.

[Latif Nasser]

Abderra walk into a mountain.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And when it comes to the hunter joke, you could argue we feel superior to the stupid hunter.

[Latif Nasser]

It just does make us feel so petty. Like, we're just, like, so petty and insecure. Like, we need something to feel bigger then.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yeah, I really don't. I really don't think that's why I'm laughing at a lot of jokes. And it has been criticized a little bit recently.

[Latif Nasser]

I mean, I'm not saying I'm not petty and insecure, but I like to think there's more to it.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

I think so too. So then this last scientific theory of humor I wanna walk through just quickly, is that a lot of humor is triggered by these potentially threatening or bad situations. And then we laugh to release tension. So the hunter joke ticks that off.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah, it's like, oh, there's a little bubble of tension here. Pop it. Like, okay, great. We're good. We're good, right?

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yes. And even though there's not a lot of studies testing this theory of humor, Richard said that just from reading, like, thousands of jokes in his experiment, it seemed to sort of be at the heart of why a lot of them were funny.

[Richard Wiseman]

It's not chance that a lot of jokes involve people experiencing stuff that makes us worried.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yeah, Right. And then as, like. As an interesting tidbit. More recently, researchers have kind of added to this saying that you can't just have tension or what they call a violation. They say you ultimately need to feel safe. So the violation in a joke has to be benign. It's called the benign violation theory. And if you think of, like, a classic funniest home video show where someone falls on their face, that's like a violation. It's a bit dangerous, but then it's safe. Like, the person got up, was fine, and, like, for some reason sent their snafu to, like, a 90s TV channel.

[Latif Nasser]

Right.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

But if they. If they didn't get up and they just, like, were dead.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah. Right. That's not funny. We're not laughing at that anymore.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So to go back to, like, the hunter joke just for a second, even though it ticks these scientific boxes like we talked about, it's not funny. And so I thought. Or to me, any. I don't know. It can't be the funniest. It can't be the funniest.

[Latif Nasser]

It's not the funniest.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

It's not the funniest. And so I asked Richard, like, his experiment, it did the right thing. They got the sample size. They asked people, many countries around the world, so what went wrong? And here's what he said.

[Richard Wiseman]

It was the joke that most people didn't hate. It's so you can look at any one group, you can look at men or women or young or old or Canadians, and there's always a joke that they thought was much, much funnier. But when you pulled the data, you got the average. And that's the average. It's the average joke. It's the kind of like. Yes.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Right. No, I think what I've learned from talking to you.

[Richard Wiseman]

Nothing. You've learned nothing.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Nothing. Is that. Yeah. Where you went wrong was asking thousands and thousands of people for their opinions.

[Richard Wiseman]

Where we went wrong was starting that little downhill from there.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

All right, so, Latif, of all of the jokes that you've heard today, have we found your favorite?

[Latif Nasser]

Um, I'm very happy with, um. Take your face. Uh, I still think that one is pretty good. I'm going to take out the garbage. Take your face.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

The answer was hiding within us all along.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

We found your joke. We fulfilled our quest.

[Latif Nasser]

Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Thank you very much. Thank you for coming on the show.

[Latif Nasser]

Thank you. I feel lighter.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

This episode was produced by me, Wendy Zuckerman, with help from Michelle Dang, Joel Werner, Rose Rimler and Meryl Horn. We're edited by Blythe Terrell, fact checking by Sarah Baum. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, so Wiley and Bobby Lord. A huge thanks to all of the researchers that we spoke to, including Dr. Andrew Farkas, Professor Penny MacDonald, Dr. Maggie Prenger, and a huge thank you to Professor Chris Westbury for sharing your amazing spreadsheet of the funniest words. Another big thanks to Lindsay Farber, Roland Campos, Lauren Lodou D'Shea, Andrea Jones Roy, and the other comics that we spoke to at the Joke Lab. And in fact, all of the comics that we spoke to and couldn't fit into this episode. We really, really appreciate you and your time. Thanks to Ben Milam, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, stupid old studios, Paige Ransbury, the Zuckerman family, and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

[Latif Nasser]

On the Radio Lab side. We just want to say a big thank you to Wendy Zuckerman and everyone at the Science Versus team, including former Radio Labber Ekadi Foster. Keys. Thank you for having me on. Thank you for letting us share this episode. We will be back next week and until then, my friends, I wish you luck finding ways to keep laughing. Have a good week. Hi, I'm David and I'm from Baltimore, Maryland. Radiolab was created by Jad Abumrad and is edited by Soren Wheeler. Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser are our co hosts. Dylan Keefe is our Director of Sound design. Our staff includes Simon Adler, Jeremy Bloom, Becca Bressler, W. Harry Fortuna, David Gable, Maria Paz Gutierrez, Sindhu Nyanam Sambandan, Matt Kielty, Annie McEwen, Rebecca Lacks, Alex Neeson, Sara Khari, Sarah Sandbach, Arianne Wack, Pat Walters, and Molly Webster. Our fact checkers are Diane Kelly, Emily Krieger, and Natalie Middleton.

[Molly Webster]

Hi, I'm Erica in Yonkers. Leadership's report for Radiolab. Science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Science Sandbox, a Simons foundation initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

[Latif Nasser]

And now a next level moment from AT&T business. Say you've sent out a gigantic shipment of pillows and they need to be there in time for International Sleep day. You've got ATT 5G so you're fully confident, but the vendor isn't responding and International Sleep Day is tomorrow. Luckily, AT&T5G lets you you deal with any issues with ease, so the pillows will get delivered and everyone can sleep soundly, especially you. ATT 5G requires a compatible plan and device. 5G is not available everywhere. See att.com 5G for you for details.

[Molly Webster]

There's a lot going on right now.

[Latif Nasser]

Mounting economic inequality, threats to democracy, environmental.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Disaster, the sour stench of chaos in the air.

[Latif Nasser]

I'm Brooklyn Gladstone, host of WNYC's on the Media.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Want to understand the reasons and the meanings of the narratives that led us here, and maybe how to head them.

[Molly Webster]

Off at the pass that's on the media's specialty.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Take a listen wherever you get your podcasts.