There is an article by John Tierney in the NYT and a post on his blog about the science of humor. Here's a little sampler of the artcle:
So there are these two muffins baking in an oven. One of them yells, "Wow, it's hot in here!"And the other muffin replies: "Holy cow! A talking muffin!"
Did that alleged joke make you laugh? I would guess (and hope) not. But under different circumstances, you would be chuckling softly, maybe giggling, possibly guffawing. I know that's hard to believe, but trust me. The results are just in on a laboratory test of the muffin joke.
Laughter, a topic that stymied philosophers for 2,000 years, is finally yielding to science. Researchers have scanned brains and tickled babies, chimpanzees and rats. They've traced the evolution of laughter back to what looks like the primal joke -- or, to be precise, the first stand-up routine to kill with an audience of primates.
The Tierney Lab Blog takes a different tact and asks what the gender differences are and how they come about.
Head on over there and participate in the debate.
As for comments here... lets hear some really really bad jokes :)
Comments
Q: What's worse than finding a worm in your apple?
A: The Holocaust.
Posted by: Ryan Fox | March 13, 2007 2:29 PM
wow... that's terrible.
Posted by: steve | March 13, 2007 2:35 PM
- Two atoms are walking down the street when one of them stops short and says "Uh-oh, I think I've lost an electron.". The other says "Are you sure?", and the first replies "Yep, I'm positive".
- A neutron walks into a bar and orders a beer. The barman hands it over. The neutron says "How much do I owe you?" and the barman says "To you, sir, no charge".
I _really_ liked Ryan's joke. does this make me a bad person?
Posted by: Jason | March 14, 2007 1:24 AM