Ah, academic research. A Washington State University linguist found that people who tell dumb jokes face hostility from the listeners. (Insert own sarcastic retort here).
Researcher Nancy Bell had her students work a stupid joke into their everyday conversations and record the results.
The “joke”: What did the big chimney say to the little chimney? Nothing. Chimneys can’t talk.
They actually had to wonder how people would respond?
Invaluable data was culled: Out of 207 conversations, 44 percent of the reactions were classified as “impolite.” The toughest responses came from people who knew the joke teller well, Bell said. You think? Who would let a friend get away with saying something so inane?
On the other hand, maybe there’s something to study when a person is forced to laugh out of politeness. Is it a strain on your heart when a prospective boss says something “witty” during an interview and you’re supposed to laugh? When your dentist thinks she’s hilarious? When your future father-in-law repeats the same line for the 1,000th time?
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