A year of scientific research and 40,000 jokes a real laughing matter

THE world’s funniest joke was unveiled by scientists yesterday at the end of the largest study of humour ever undertaken.

For the past year people around the world have been invited to judge jokes on an internet site as well as contribute quips of their own.

The LaughLab experiment conducted by psychologist Dr Richard Wiseman, from the University of Hertfordshire, attracted more than 40,000 jokes and almost two million ratings.

As well as identifying the joke which appealed most to people around the world, the experiment revealed wide humour differences between nations.

Scans conducted on people being told jokes also identified the brain's laughter centre a region near the back of the frontal lobes.

The joke which received the highest global ratings was submitted by 31-year-old psychiatrist Gurpal Gosall, from Manchester.

It reads as follows: Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps: "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator says: "Calm down, I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says: "OK, now what?"

One intriguing result was that Germans not renowned for their sense of humour found just about everything funny. They did not express a strong preference for any type of joke.

People from the Republic of Ireland, Britain, Australia and New Zealand most enjoyed jokes involving word plays.