Inside Out

Laughter WORKSHEET A

A love of laughter is probably one of the things all people have in common. Is there
anyone who doesn’t like hearing a good joke, or watching an amusing situation in a
TV sitcom?
Many scientists believe that laughter is not only an enjoyable sensation while it is
happening, but that it also has longer-lasting psychological benefits, by helping
people feel less stressed and more relaxed. It seems laughter also reduces inhibitions –
most people will know from experience, for example, that a shared joke can have a
bonding effect on groups of people who are feeling a bit shy because they don’t know
each other very well.
Perhaps more surprisingly, it is also claimed that laughter has various physical
benefits, for example by burning lots of calories and therefore functioning as a form
of physical exercise!
Of course, although laughter is universal, not everyone laughs at the same things. In
2002 a British psychologist, Richard Wiseman, conducted an online study in which he
invited people from all around the world to rate a total of around 40,000 different
jokes. Perhaps as you would expect, he found differences between senses of humour
in different countries, but he also found that lots of jokes are able to cross national
borders.
The joke that received the highest ratings, having been popular with both sexes and
most nationalities, was as follows:
‘Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn’t seem to be
breathing. The other guy gets his mobile phone out and calls the emergency services.
He says, “My friend is dead! What can I do?” The operator says, “Calm down, I can
help. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.” There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on
the phone, the guy says, “OK, now what?”’
In Wiseman’s opinion, the joke provokes laughter because it works in three different
ways: it contains an element of surprise; it describes an unpleasant situation with an
element of tension, but then suddenly removes any bad feelings the listener might
have; and it also allows the listener to feel superior by describing an act of great
stupidity by another person!

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 Inside Out
Laughter WORKSHEET B

Exercise 1
Here are some simple definitions for words or expressions that appear in the text on
Worksheet A. Find the words or expressions they refer to and fill in the gaps.

1. _______________ (noun, usually plural) a feeling of being embarrassed or not

confident that makes it difficult to do or say what you want to
2. _______________ (adjective) funny
3. _______________ (verb) to fall down suddenly because of illness or tiredness
4. __________ __________ (phrasal verb) to begin to feel more relaxed
5. _______________ (adjective) better than someone or something else
6. _______________ (adjective) connected to or available through the internet
7. _______________ (noun, informal) a man
8. _______________ (adjective) nervous and embarrassed in the company of other
people
9. _______________ (noun) an advantage you get from a situation
10. _______________ (verb) to say something is true, even though there is no proof
11. _______________ (verb) to cause a reaction
12. _______________ (noun) lack of intelligence
13. __________ (something) ____ __________ (phrase) to have the same interests
or opinions as someone else
14. _______________ (noun) the official line separating two countries or regions

Exercise 2
Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F), or if the text doesn’t
say (D).

1. Richard Wiseman found that the joke about the hunters was only popular with men.
2. British doctors claim that laughter has various physical benefits.
3. The most popular jokes allow the listener to feel superior to another person.
4. Shared jokes can bring people together and make them feel less shy with each
other.
5. Wiseman did not find many jokes that are popular in more than one country.

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It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages. Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2008.
 Inside Out
Laughter WORKSHEET C

Exercise 3
Below are some excerpts from the text, but not all of them have been copied correctly.
Decide which of them contain mistakes, and then make the necessary corrections.

1. ‘Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses.’
2. … it is also claimed that laughter has various physical benefits …
3. ... a shared joke can have a bonding affect on groups of people ...
4. …a British psychology, Richard Wiseman, conducted an online study ...
5. ... not everyone laugh on the same things.
6. ‘There is a silence, then a shoot is heard.’
7. A love of laughter is probably one of the things all people have common.
8. … he found differences between senses of humour in different countries...

This page has been downloaded from www.insideout.net.

It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages. Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2008.