'You can't have a complete theory of humor without understanding how it fails also,' she said. These intriguing results are one reason why Bell thinks it's important to study not just successful humor as a means of communication, but also failed attempts. 'Maybe telling a bad joke could present you as someone who is approachable, not all high and mighty, or perhaps show that you have confidence,' Bell said. For example, there may be times when bad humor can actually serve a useful purpose. The new research confirms how complicated and subtle the social sphere of humor is. 'You have a long term investment in that relationship, so you want to shut that down,' Bell said. If someone you spend a lot of time with has a penchant for annoying humor, it is in your own self-interest to nip that in the bud so you don't have to be subjected to more in the future, the thinking goes. 'It means, you think I’m an idiot, huh?'Īs for why people save their worst bile for those they really love - it may be to protect themselves from more bad jokes.

Without the humor, listeners may become annoyed at the lame crack.Īnother reason listeners may get angry is that a bad joke implies an insult to the audience's sense of humor, if the joke-teller really thought the listener would appreciate the bad joke. When a joke is actually funny, listeners don't mind the disruption because there is a payoff: humor. These harsh responses might stem from the fact that jokes are usually an interruption to normal conversation, Bell said. People responded with insults, sarcasm, fake laughter and a host of other comebacks. 'I wouldn’t expect that people would twist the knife and make you feel even worse.' 'I thought, well, everybody’s had the experience of trying to be funny and having it not be funny,' she said. Bell said she was surprised by the rudeness of responses.

Lame corny jokes