HUMOUR ME! A FAKE LAUGH A DAY KEEPS THE BOSS AWAY

25 July 2012

• Faking it – 75% of Brits use a fake laugh
• Comedy starts at home – two thirds of Brits prefer to laugh at their own
jokes
• Men top the comedy confidence polls

Three in every four people rely on fake laughs to get them through the day,
a survey has revealed, with bosses, work colleagues and friends most likely
to trigger our guilty giggles.

Where women use fake laughter to fill awkward silences, men are far more
likely to use it to make themselves look good in front of their peers. And,
when it comes to the age groups, it’s the younger generations (those 18-34)
that are most likely to fall back on their fake laughs rather than admitting
they don’t get the joke or find it funny.

What people do find amusing, however, is themselves with over two thirds of
people admitting to laughing at their own jokes and almost half believing
that they’re the funniest person in their social circle!

The findings have been released as part of a nationwide study on British
humour conducted by Old Jamaica, the nation’s favourite ginger beer brand*.
Revealing exactly what tickles people’s funny bones, as well as their
not-so-hilarious habits, the research will also help the brand in its
on-going search to unearth the UK’s freshest joke-telling talent.

When it comes to hitting our humour hotspots, a witty one liner is the most
effective type of joke throughout the UK with rude or blue punch lines
falling to fourth in the leader board behind topical and long, story-style
gags. Liverpudlian accents were voted the best for joke delivery but it’s
those in Birmingham that feel the most self-assured in their joke telling
abilities giving themselves an above average score for their sense of
humour.

Heather Jones, Senior Brand Manager for Old Jamaica, said:
“With wet weather and financial fears dominating the headlines, you’d be
forgiven for thinking that Britain may be feeling a little blue this summer
but that’s certainly not the case.

“We may not necessarily think that the people around us are hilarious but,
as the research shows, we’re full of confidence when it comes to our own
comedy flair and that’s great news for the nationwide talent search we’re
currently undertaking. 

“One thing we did notice was how much more confident men were than women
when it came to comedy. In fact, 55% of men believe they’re the funniest
person they know compared to just 22% of women. Men also keep more jokes up
their sleeves, being able to tell an average of five funnies from memory;
more than doubling the two that women can recall.

“For our nationwide competition however, you only need the one joke so we’d
like to encourage everyone to step forward and upload their favourite quick
quip to our Facebook page. If the UK is as funny as it claims to be, we
should be in for a real treat when it comes to the judging process and we
look forward to seeing what the nation has to offer.”

Those wanting to enter Old Jamaica’s You Can’t Beat An Old Jamaican
competition can do so, by uploading a video of themselves telling a joke,
until the 30th July at http://www.facebook.com/OldJamaica .  A selection of
entrants will then be given the unique opportunity to star in a national TV
commercial for the brand. What’s more, one lucky winner chosen from the five
videos with the most public votes on the closing date, will also win a
holiday for two to Jamaica. For full T&Cs please visit
http://oldjamaicagingerbeer.com/terms/facebook/video/