9 Major Laughter Triggers

Question 1

1st Trigger

Answer 1

Surprise

Question 2

2nd Trigger

Answer 2

Embarrassment

Question 3

3rd Trigger

Answer 3

Recognition

Question 4

4th Trigger

Answer 4

Incongruity

Question 5

5th Trigger

Answer 5

Superiority

Question 6

6th Trigger

Answer 6

Release

Question 7

7th Trigger

Answer 7

Ambivalence

Question 8

8th Trigger

Answer 8

Configurational

Question 9

9th Trigger

Answer 9

Coincidence

Question 10

SURPRISE JOKE EXAMPLE 1

Answer 10

I have an 11-month-old. She loves to play with chest hair. She’ll grab it too—and it hurts. Finally, I said to my wife, ‘You know, you might want to get that stuff lasered.

Question 11

SURPRISE JOKE EXAMPLE 2

Answer 11

I remember, one time, I went over to my girlfriend’s house to beg her to take me back. It was like 2 o’clock in the morning, I was drunk and I’m banging on the door… “Stacy! Stacy!” Which is weird, because her name is Emily.

Question 12

SURPRISE JOKE EXAMPLE 3

Answer 12

I’ll never forget the night before I filed for divorce. I was lying in bed with my wife, nake—wait, that wasn’t me…

Question 13

INCONGRUITY JOKE EXAMPLE 1

Answer 13

I don’t think horses really know they’re racing. I think horses are sitting at the starting gate thinking, I know there’s a bag of oats at the end of this and I want to get there first.

Question 14

INCONGRUITY JOKE EXAMPLE 2

Answer 14

So now I’m dating, and at my age, dating is hard, mainly because my men aren’t

Question 15

RECOGNITION JOKE EXAMPLE 1

Answer 15

Physical Observation: “Why is it that you get artificial lemon flavor in food, but real lemon juice in dishwashing liquid?

Question 16

RECOGNITION JOKE EXAMPLE 2

Answer 16

Verbal Observation: “Has your girlfriend ever said to you: “I’m going to ask you something and you have to promise you won’t get mad?” That’s when you know you’re in for a long night!”

Question 17

RECOGNITION JOKE EXAMPLE 3

Answer 17

Verbal Observation: I saw a sign that said: “Authentic Chinese Cuisine… Se habla Espanol.

Question 18

RECOGNITION JOKE EXAMPLE 4

Answer 18

Verbal Observation: I was watching this commercial for laundry detergent. It said:
‘Our detergent gets blood stains out of your dress shirts better than the leading detergent.’ If you’ve got blood on your dress shirts, choosing the right detergent is the least of your problems.”

Question 19

RECOGNITION JOKE EXAMPLE 5

Answer 19

Personal Observation: My wife came home from the store the other day with all these expensive new clothes. She starts out the conversation by saying. ‘Honey, you have no idea how much money I saved us! When you’re married, did you ever notice that her money is ‘her’ money, but your money is ‘our’ money?

Question 20

RECOGNITION JOKE EXAMPLE 6

Answer 20

Esoteric Observation: You ever see that ad online that solves every health problem, money problem or weight problem with ‘This one weird trick.’ For being ‘one weird trick’ there sure is a lot of them.

Question 21

RECOGNITION JOKE EXAMPLE 7

Answer 21

Human Behavior: You ever notice when you’re in your car you’ll lean forward toward the stereo unit to hear better, even when the speakers are on the sides?

Question 22

The key to successful recognition is specificity

Answer 22

The key to successful recognition is specificity

Question 23

AMBIVALENCE JOKE EXAMPLE 1

Answer 23

I knew this stripper that used to let me snort coke off her ass. Man I swear that was the first time I actually fell in love. That was some good coke.

Question 24

AMBIVALENCE JOKE EXAMPLE 2

Answer 24

‘Jerry, sorry I missed the meeting. My dad, who lives in Bakersfield, was just diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer.’
I said, ‘Man that’s horrible! He lives in Bakersfield?!’ That friend never spoke to me again. A year later my wife was like, ‘You should reach out to him.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I can ask him if his dad ever got out of Bakersfield.

Question 25

AMBIVALENCE JOKE EXAMPLE 3

Answer 25

My girlfriend said she broke up with me because I didn’t pay attention to her, or something... I don’t know, I didn’t read the whole text message

Question 26

SUPERIORITY JOKE EXAMPLE

Answer 26

We have an Alaskan Husky. She’s a pack animal. When we first brought her home she tried to establish dominance by humping my wife’s leg. I was like, ‘Trust me, Doggo, That is NOT going to get you anywhere!

Question 27

CONFIGURATIONAL JOKE EXAMPLE 1

Answer 27

You know why they call it the “Yugo?” Because when you get to a hill, it cuts out; you shut it off, you get out and YOU GO up the hill

Question 28

CONFIGURATIONAL JOKE EXAMPLE 2

Answer 28

If you drove your car at the speed of sound, could you hear your stereo?

Question 29

CONFIGURATIONAL JOKE EXAMPLE 3

Answer 29

I saw a sign that said “Rest Area One Mile...” I thought, “Wow, that’s huge

Question 30

CONFIGURATIONAL JOKE EXAMPLE 4

Answer 30

“A waffle is like a pancake with a syrup trap.”

Question 31

CONFIGURATIONAL JOKE EXAMPLE 5

Answer 31

I’m a gay man living in West Hollywood. It’s so hard to date there because all the men are tan and chiseled. And I’m...Well, like I said, it’s hard to date in West Hollywood.” (The guy is Fat)

Question 32

CONFIGURATIONAL JOKE EXAMPLE 6

Answer 32

I went to this really fancy restaurant in New York. They had a waiter for everything. The drink waiter gave you drinks. The dessert waiter gave you dessert. And the head waiter? He gave you... nevermind.