We all had that one friend who no matter how she jokes about something; you just can’t
laugh about it. Have you ever wondered why? or… Have you ever been that friend?
Here we tackle as to why your joke doesn’t cut and how the hell could you sharpen it.
1. The Social Group
So you told a joke to a group of people, they laughed so hard you thought
there had been some kind of alien alarmed pushed on. You told the same joke to
another group of people, instead of laughing they looked at you so hard as if
you’re an alien fugitive that fell of his spaceship. The group of people you are
telling your joke on have a large impact to how they are to take your joke. Some
can be quite violated of what you joke about, and some find them hilarious.
Racist jokes may be a taboo to others or could be hilarious to another.
2. Surprising Effect and Over-usage
You told a joke to your friend one time, they laughed. You told it again,
she laughed but for a short period, almost unrealistic. You told it for another try,
she stabbed you even before finishing it. The funniness of all jokes told at the
same angle depreciates over time. We laugh because something unexpected
was said. It was perfectly bizarre and unpredictable. If they’ve heard your joke
before, you’re probably not going to get laughs. You want to know a joke that has
a huge shock effect? Sending a mail prank to one of your friends!
3. Truthfulness and Seriousness
The funniest ones are those told in truth, usually truth of somebody else’s.
Think about those racist jokes, yes they’re funny because it happened.
Accompanied with deadpan seriousness on bizarre acts that one have done, you
have no idea if it is real or not!
4. Exaggeration and Sarcasm
When you’re trying for a stand-up comedy people generally laugh at
stories. The vividness of the incident is what makes your audience follow your
jokes. We always love hyperboles. Like how I love my college years. They’re
great! It’s like chopping onions with a mountain of pencil erasers!
The vibrancy of the language used also gives a big impact on your jokes.
That’s why bad Bill is so funny. With his profanity, he shocks the shit out of
people. But as mentioned earlier, profanity could be received differently by
different groups of people.
5. Timing is everything
Has it surprised you yet? Joking in front of a number of people is more of
like public speaking. For example, image you have a glitter prank. If the timing isn’t right, it wouldn’t be funny.
It could be less intimidating to some unless you’re making
your way for a stand-up comedy at Broadway with no jokes in mind. Ever
wondered why your joke didn’t stand out? It was because you were racing too
fast, you ate what you said and you swallowed almost half of your audience.
The secret of the best comedians of all time is practice. They practice their
intonation, the structure of their comedic stories, and more importantly, their
timing. Telling a good joke needs the proper beat and the proper pause.