Is this some kind of joke? Most of us laugh along just to fit in

TWO thirds of people laugh at jokes they don’t understand in order to fit in, a survey has found.

More than half of Britons admitted to having repeated punchlines that they did not understand themselves, while 56 per cent said they had needed to research the meaning of jokes they did not initially get.

Dozens of jokes made up the survey, which was taken by 2,000 Britons, to find out whether they were universally appreciated or harder to understand.

Forty-six per cent of people were able to understand the joke “How do you drown a hipster? In the mainstream” but the remaining participants were unable to see the funny side.

Audiences not only have to know the meanings of the words “hipster” and “mainstream”, they must also be aware that hipsters are perceived as anti-mainstream, while appreciating the double meaning – “mainstream” refers to water as well as adhering to societal norms.

Humour that relies on puns or more obscure concepts is more likely to confuse audiences than to make them smile, according to Dr Helen Pilcher, the neuroscientist who carried out the research.

She said: “Laughter is universal but humour is immensely subjective and although people all over the world enjoy a good joke what they find funny varies according to a number of things, such as culture, context and language.”

“Brain activity is also implicated. The brain contains billions of neurons, and can process large amounts of information in very short time periods.”

Dr Pilcher, a comedy expert, took inspiration from the BBC comedy The Vicar of Dibley, in which Alice Tinker was puzzled by the jokes made by Dawn French’s character, Geraldine.

Every episode would finish with Alice failing to grasp gags including: “What happens if you cross a turkey with an octopus? Everyone gets a leg at Christmas.”

A recent survey found one in five people aged under 30 said they had never heard a “knock, knock” joke.