Funeral Directors Mostly Likely to Laugh at...

Christmas cracker jokes have long been suspected of being the death to any good family lunch. And now there is proof of their deadliness: the only ones to laugh are funeral directors.

A study has found that of ten major professions or trades funeral directors find Christmas cracker jokes the funniest. Vicars are the least likely to laugh at the sometimes terrible puns traditionally found on the slips of paper.

A total of 1000 people were involved in the study, undertaken by the Christmas cracker firm Robin Reed, with 100 from each job tested on their reactions to the jokes. Each person's reaction was rated and classified into three categories: an audible laugh, a smile or little or no reaction at all.

Funeral directors, followed by doctors and then accountants were found to be the most likely to laugh out loud. Vicars were the least likely to laugh, followed by police and then butchers.

The jokes used were firmly in the tradition of terrible puns and creaking word play. One was: Q, "Why did the scarecrow win so many awards?". A. "Because he was outstanding in his field."

Another was: Q. "What kind of pants do clouds wear?". A: "Thunderwear".

Chris Parker, a former president of The Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors, said: "I'm not surprised by this at all. All funeral directors need to have a sense of humour, and a black one at that.

"It can be hard sometimes not to laugh in front of clients, but laughter really is the best medicine at times of grief.

The chief executive of Robin Reed, Julian Reed, said: “I’m not surprised that undertakers topped our chuckle chart – people often use humour to deal with difficult circumstances. We find that sillier jokes go down better in hard times."

Christmas crackers have been manufactured in Britain for more than 160 years. At its height after World War II, Thomas Smith, the original company to make them, was churning out 50 million products a year at two large factories, employing more than 500 people.

The cracker laughing league table:

1. Funeral directors

2. Doctors

3. Accountants

4. Librarians

5. Teachers

6. Hair dressers

7. Lawyers

8. Butchers

9. Police

10. Vicars

SOURCE