A Fake Laugh A Day Keeps The Boss Away

Three in every four people rely on fake laughs to get them through the day, a survey has revealed, with bosses, work colleagues and friends most likely to trigger our guilty giggles.

Where women use fake laughter to fill awkward silences, men are far more likely to use it to make themselves look good in front of their peers. And, when it comes to the age groups, it’s the younger generations (those 18-34) that are most likely to fall back on their fake laughs rather than admitting they don’t get the joke or find it funny.

What people do find amusing, however, is themselves with over two thirds of people admitting to laughing at their own jokes and almost half believing that they’re the funniest person in their social circle!

The findings have been released as part of a nationwide study on British humour conducted by Old Jamaica revealing exactly what tickles people’s funny bones.

When it comes to hitting our humour hotspots, a witty one liner is the most effective type of joke throughout the UK with rude or blue punch lines falling to fourth in the leader board behind topical and long, story-style gags. Liverpudlian accents were voted the best for joke delivery but it’s those in Birmingham that feel the most self-assured in their joke telling abilities giving themselves an above average score for their sense of humour.

Heather Jones, Senior Brand Manager for Old Jamaica, said:“With wet weather and financial fears dominating the headlines, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Britain may be feeling a little blue this summer but that’s certainly not the case.

“We may not necessarily think that the people around us are hilarious but, as the research shows, we’re full of confidence when it comes to our own comedy flair and that’s great news for the nationwide talent search we’re currently undertaking.

“One thing we did notice was how much more confident men were than women when it came to comedy. In fact, 55% of men believe they’re the funniest person they know compared to just 22% of women. Men also keep more jokes up their sleeves, being able to tell an average of five funnies from memory; more than doubling the two that women can recall.”

(GK)