What's so Funny? A Closer Look behind Jokes and the Art of Joke Telling

If you love to laugh, reading a good joke or watching a seasoned comedian in a live performance can get your laughing workout on a roll. You’re probably aware of the occasional rim shot in a live comedic performance, or more commonly in talk shows, signaling the moment where the audience should laugh to acknowledge that a joke has been made. Or more specifically, this would be the most crucial point of delivering any joke intended to amuse an audience, typically known as the punchline.

But even though all jokes have a punchline in one form or another, some jokes seem to fare better than others. There are undoubtedly different types of jokes – some are specifically in the form of question-answer (i.e. “Why did the chicken cross the road?” / “To get to the other side”), some are in the form of knock-knock jokes, while others involve someone or something walking into a bar and hilarity tends to ensue from the inevitable conversations that occur.

So what exactly is involved in a good joke? There are three main components: the introduction, the set-up, and the punchline. Comics tend to begin their routines by introducing one specific topic and sticking with it for the whole delivery; stand-alone jokes tend to begin with one (or more) main characters. The set-up involves a more detailed yet brief rundown that covers a conversation and/or situation, which eventually leads (hopefully without a hitch) to the punchline, normally taking place at the very end of the joke. And perhaps to no surprise, a large majority of jokes rely on the clever and witty twist on word play or puns, requiring the audience to be quick on their feet to catch on to the intended meaning of a play on words. What’s so funny about jokes? You can be the judge.