Why bad jokes are easier to remember than the good ones

Scientists have explained why the best jokes are the hardest to remember, while the worst are easily called to mind.

The greatest jokes work by subverting usual thought patterns, making them less memorable but funnier, according to new research.

A final twist and surprise in the joke makes us remember the punchline, but forget the run-up to the gag.

In contrast, the structure and punchlines of cliched gags are so predictable it makes them easy to recall.

Robert Provine, professor of psychology at Maryland University, who is writing a book on laughter, said: "What makes a joke successful is also what makes it difficult to remember. The punch line involves an unexpected turn.

"If someone tells you a list of flowers, like roses, daffodils, petunias and brick. That was unexpected and funny. You remember 'brick', but not probably the correct list of flowers."

Prof Provine believes that good jokes work in the opposite way to a poem or piece of music.

He said: "It's easier to follow a song because it has rhyme and rhythm. I hear a good joke but usually I can't remember all of it."

A new guy in town walks into a bar and reads a sign that hangs over the bar.

FREE BEER FOR THE PERSON WHO CAN PASS OUR TEST!

So the guy asks the bartender what the test is. The Bartender replies "Well, first you have to drink that whole gallon of pepper tequila, the whole thing at once and you can't make a face while doing it. Second, there's a 'gator out back with a sore tooth...you have to remove it with your bare hands. Third, there's a woman up-stairs who's never had an orgasm. You gotta make things right for her."

The guy says, "Well, as much as I would love free beer, I won't do it. You have to be nuts to drink a gallon of pepper tequila and then get crazier from there. Well, as time goes on and the man drinks a few, he asks, "Wherez zat teeqeelah?"

He grabs the gallon of tequilla with both hands, and downs it with a big slurp and tears streaming down his face. Next, he staggers out back and soon all the people inside hear the most frightening roaring and thumping, then silence.

The man staggers back into the bar, his shirt ripped and big scratches all over his body. "Now" he says "Where's that woman with the sore tooth?"

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.