In research that will ensure the sitcoms of the future are as painful as those broadcast today, scientists have found that canned laughter makes bad jokes seem funnier. [...]

All of the volunteers found the jokes funnier when they were accompanied by the sound of others laughing, with the biggest gains produced by recordings of spontaneous laughter rather than more deliberate and controlled laughing, the study found.

"The laughter is influencing how funny the jokes seem and I think that's because laughter is a very important signal for humans. It always means something," said Sophie Scott, a professor of cognitive neuroscience who led the research at University College London. "You're getting information not only that it's funny but that it's OK to laugh."