The Laughlab, at www.laughlab.co.uk,
was created by Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire
in England for what he calls the most comprehensive study
ever on the psychology of humor. Since it was launched in
September, the site has collected more than 10,000 jokes and
ratings from 100,000 people in 70 countries.
The following
joke received the highest rating from 47 percent of people
who participated:
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are going
camping. They pitch their tent under the stars and go to sleep.
Sometime in the middle of the night, Holmes wakes Watson up:
"Watson, look up at the stars, and tell me what you deduce."
Watson says, "I see millions of
stars and even if a few of those have planets, it's quite
likely there are some planets like Earth, and if there are
a few planets like Earth out there, there might also be life."
Holmes replied: "Watson, you idiot,
somebody stole our tent."
The following
joke rated a close second:
A couple of hunters are out in the woods
when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be
breathing. His eyes are rolled back in his head.
The other guy whips out his mobile phone
and calls the emergency services. He gasps to the operator:
"My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator,
in a calm soothing voice, says: "Just take it easy. First,
let's make sure he's dead."
There's silence, then a shot is heard.
The guy's voice comes back on the line.
He says, "Okay, now what?"