Britains Suffer Sense of Humor Failure


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Britain suffers sense of humour failure due to worries of modern life Tue May 24, 5:41 PM ET

LONDON (AFP) - Britain is suffering a sense of humour failure, with laughter levels three times lower now than 50 years ago and nearly half of all adults unable to enjoy at least one big guffaw a day, research showed.

Money worries, relationship woes and even political concerns were among the reasons given for the collection of grim faces, according to the data, collected for the cruise company Ocean Village.

"Laughter is an essential ingredient of a healthy, happy life and is one of the most effective and immediate antidotes to stress and tension -- it really is the best medicine," said Amanda Bate from Ocean Village.

"The findings of this study show a worrying trend towards glumness. In the 1950s we laughed for an average of 18 minutes daily but this has dropped to just six minutes per day," she said.

Morning misery is rife, with almost half of Britons -- some 45 percent -- admitting they frequently wallowed in gloom until lunchtime.

Around 16 million adults, totalling 40 percent, said they failed to muster even one proper belly laugh in an average day.

It is not all sulking and moodiness, however, as the research found that single women aged 18 to 24 in the northern city of Manchester were the happiest people in the country.

In addition, Bristol, in western England, was named the most cheerful place for couples aged 25 to 34.

Factors such as weather, time of day and age, were all cited as being able to spark the blues.

July and August were the happiest months of the year according to three out of four people quizzed, with January the most miserable.

The study was carried out by ICM Research on behalf of Ocean Village who interviewed a random selection of 1,000 adults aged 18 or over.

I wonder how exactly the questions were phrased? Generalizing all Britains from only 1,000 seems a bit of a stretch too. Aren't test groups normally much larger for a study like this?

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I wonder how exactly the questions were phrased? Generalizing all Britains from only 1,000 seems a bit of a stretch too. Aren't test groups normally much larger for a study like this?

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it depends on their methods. they can extrapolate from 1000 people with a certain statistical significance.

i need a good laugh too!

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it depends on their methods.  they can extrapolate from 1000 people with a certain statistical significance.

i need a good laugh too!

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Yea I just figured that they would use a much larger test group...and that ladies and gentlemen is why I got a C in Quantative Analysis :D

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The British have always had a sense of humour failure. Love your language and your country, but sorry, guys, you're just not funny. :(

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Fawlty Towers, Monty Python, Red Dwarf, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Blackadder, Ab Fab and Mr. Bean notwithstanding.

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Mr Bean and Red Dwarf are not funny. Mildly amusing in an i'm-not-going-to-kill-myself-if-i'm-forced-to-watch-this kinda way. Monty Python is OK, but the show is way better than the movies, and it's more funny to hear people talk about it and use it as an inside joke than it is to actually watch it first-hand. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (from the bits i've seen/read/heard of it) is entertaining, but not that great as far as comedy. Haven't seen the other three.

VERY SORRY BRITAIN

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Mr Bean and Red Dwarf are not funny. Mildly amusing in an i'm-not-going-to-kill-myself-if-i'm-forced-to-watch-this kinda way. Monty Python is OK, but the show is way better than the movies, and it's more funny to hear people talk about it and use it as an inside joke than it is to actually watch it first-hand. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (from the bits i've seen/read/heard of it) is entertaining, but not that great as far as comedy. Haven't seen the other three.

VERY SORRY BRITAIN

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I'm not a huge Mr. Bean fan, Blackadder is better. I do like Red Dwarf but probably more for the books. Same goes with HHGthG. Fawlty Towers is a bit silly but funny. Ab Fab can be good too.

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I dont think you can measure "Humour". It IS afterall a very subjective matter.

Culture affects your type of humour ALOT.

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Fawlty Towers, Monty Python, Red Dwarf, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Blackadder, Ab Fab and Mr. Bean notwithstanding.

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Right on Fred! Couldn't agree more. I've never laughed so hard at a book, than when I read HitchHickers Guide to the Galaxy, right near the end (book 4) when he's eating the biscuts and reading the paper.... brilliant.

Fawlty towers is pretty funny, monty python is an aquired taste for humour, Mr. Bean makes me chuckle.

-Ax

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CAPTAIN OBVIOUS: 1

BRITAIN: 0

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What about Borat/Ali G/Bruno? That's pure genius!

"In Kahzahstahn ve say..."

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Mr Bean and Red Dwarf are not funny. Mildly amusing in an i'm-not-going-to-kill-myself-if-i'm-forced-to-watch-this kinda way. Monty Python is OK, but the show is way better than the movies, and it's more funny to hear people talk about it and use it as an inside joke than it is to actually watch it first-hand. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (from the bits i've seen/read/heard of it) is entertaining, but not that great as far as comedy. Haven't seen the other three.

VERY SORRY BRITAIN

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You suffer from a sense of humour failure I'm afraid. Monty Python and Red Dwarf are very funny to people who don't take themselves too seriously. Lighten up.

If there is any nation with a sense of humour impairment, that would be the US. You should be able to laugh at yourselves.

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I enjoy things that make me laugh. What-ever the country, what-ever the topic. It doesn't matter to me. From Will Smith to Lee Evans, Jimmy Carr to Eddie Murphey. Comedy is bloody good.

What amazes me, is it's usually the higher intellects that understand the more complex comedy and undermine the low-key, and vice versa. I like to compliment both. From slap-stick physical comedy (Bottom, Lee Evans etc) to the very monotone and lyrically obtrusive (Jimmy Carr, Jasper Carrott). I can most definately vouch for myself and say that comedy is a huge part of my life and entertains me on the same par as music. It's a rather detrimental and tainted article (to say the least) as it seems to want to specify countries and relate to it's comical values.

each to his/her own. That is all. You can't base an individuals happiness and reiterate it into the big picture, labelling the actual country as having a 'Sense of Humou failure.'

Lame.

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Strange, I've always found british comedies to be funny. Mr. Bean, Faulty Towers, Monty Python, etc are all very funny. Maybe you've gotta be british to really appreciate the humour.

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The British have always had a sense of humour failure. Love your language and your country, but sorry, guys, you're just not funny. :(

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In no particular order....

Men Behaving Badly

The League of Gentlemen

Peep Show

Black Books

Green Wing

Spaced

Bottom

The Young Ones

Absolutely Fabulous

Alan Partridge

Blackadder

Dead Ringers

The Fast Show

Look Around You

Monty Python

The Office

Only Fools and Horses

Red Dwarf

Shooting Stars

Two Pints of Lager...

Vicar of Dibley

to name but a few....

Add to that people like Billy Connolly, Jack Dee, Lee Evans, Jo Brand, Bill Bailey, Craig Charles and you'll see we ARE funny.

If you need more proof, http://www.michael.phatcatz.net/awtv/Comedy/ and http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/L...itish-comedians

:laugh:

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You suffer from a sense of humour failure I'm afraid. Monty Python and Red Dwarf are very funny to people who don't take themselves too seriously. Lighten up.

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I find the most ridiculously stupid things funny. It is certainly not a case of needing to 'lighten up'.

If there is any nation with a sense of humour impairment, that would be the US. You should be able to laugh at yourselves.

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You ever post anything in here without making negative generalisations about the United States? Jeeze, i can hardly stand the place myself, but you don't ever take a breather, do you?

<too much information about British comedy than anyone needs to know>

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Men Behaving Badly is lame, Monty Python is lame (see earlier exceptions), The Office is HORRIBLE (why does everybody like it, what the hell), Red Dwarf is entertaining (i used to watch it a lot on PBS) but not funny, Vicar of Dibley is less entertaining and still not funny. The only thing about Ali G that i think is funny is the fact that he was in that Madonna video. I don't know why i thought that was funny, he didn't do anything particularly amusing, but that's the kind of stupid stuff i laugh at.

Sorry guys! No offence at all to the British, i just don't find your standard British humour funny. Nothing personal, i don't like American or Japanese or Canadian humour either. (Those are the only ones i'm familiar with.) The fact that people think Dave Chappelle and South Park are funny kinda bums me out. WHAT CAN YOU DO I GUESS

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You ever post anything in here without making negative generalisations about the United States? Jeeze, i can hardly stand the place myself, but you don't ever take a breather, do you?

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Well, taking the anti-americanisms aside, he does kind of have a point. I think the defining measure for a sense of humour is being able to laugh at yourself, something we Brits are very good at (we have to be!!).

On the other hand, of the hundred or so Americans I've met, plus reactions I've seen on TV, americans tend not to laugh at themselves as much when people are being critical. In fact, they tend to feel offended rather than just laugh... :wacko:

Mind you, that's not just an American thing.... Try pointing Frances' faults out to a French person... Better duck! :yes:

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you want to blame something blame the political correctness that seems to have flooded our TV ever siuns we started to accept USA tv shows which in general suck we should just go back to useing the figure of a guy with a speech impedament trying to run a buissness (for those of you who know what im talking bout pm me we might beable to save this place) that was a funny thing to watch bout 10 years ago when there wer no such things as chavs which was good times how ever i did have to be in the retarded simpsons generation which sucks now who ever thinks that show is grate then you have no sence of humor bcause it defis one of the fundamental laws of good tv like getting axed in the 1st 3 seasons but i digress i mean its all gettinmg silly there is an aprently a book out somewhere telling us what not to call other eurpoean contrys which to me is just silly i mean what happend to us we uset to own this planet damm this is possible the longest post i ever typed

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^ Ow dude!!! Punctuate!!!! :D

I agree with what you say, but that was one of the hardest to read, uber run-on sentences ever! :huh:

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