Are jokes funnier when told on a train?

[IanD]

I've been travelling long distances by train a lot over the last couple of years and I have noticed that often when there are a group of people travelling together, if one of them makes a slightly funny comment or tells a mildly amusing joke, the rest of the party seems to have to laugh at a level which is out of all proportion to the funniness of the joke/comment. Something that would elicit at best a groan in normal conversation has them rolling about in the aisle. The laughing becomes more ostentatious if the group is of a single sex.

I think this may be down to a couple of things i) alcohol may have been consumed and/or ii) the group want to show to the rest of the carriage (and each other) what a fun time they are having.

But could it just be that jokes are funnier when told in a confined environment such as a train carriage?

 

[Greenback]

I've been travelling long distances by train a lot over the last couple of years and I have noticed that often when there are a group of people travelling together, if one of them makes a slightly funny comment or tells a mildly amusing joke, the rest of the party seems to have to laugh at a level which is out of all proportion to the funniness of the joke/comment. Something that would elicit at best a groan in normal conversation has them rolling about in the aisle. The laughing becomes more ostentatious if the group is of a single sex.

I think this may be down to a couple of things i) alcohol may have been consumed and/or ii) the group want to show to the rest of the carriage (and each other) what a fun time they are having.

But could it just be that jokes are funnier when told in a confined environment such as a train carriage?

No, it's more likely down to several other factors as you have begun to idnetify.

Generelly, leisure travellers are going somwehere that they have been looking forward to, a day out, weekend away, or holiday, so it's natural that they are in good spirits and more disposed to laugh at things they might not normally laugh at.

I also think that people feel a sense of freedom on the train. They may be away from their family and could feel more relaxed as a result. This would apply particularly to single sex groups.

Add in alcohol and people become even more likely to laugh uproariously at even the porrest joke!

Then, as well as the excitment, there may be an element of nerves, which can also produce more giggling and laughter than normal in a person.

I have to say that the nosiest and most boisterous groups I have seen on board trains have been females, heading off for a night or two away with their female friends. The language and subject matter of their conversations would have made a coal miner blush 40 years ago!

 

[IanD]

Hen parties are certainly noisy. On my last trip on the Cumbrian coast I had the misfortune (or delight depending on your point of view) to have been surrounded by a particularly feisty bunch heading for the bright lights of Carlisle.

I've also found that suited blokes on the way back from meetings/conferences seem to be way up the loud-laughter scale (Doddometer) as they seem to try and out-funny each other after a few swift ones on the old expenses.

 

[VanDiesel]

I often notice the same thing when chaps are out of the office, but still wearing their suits. I call it a corporate guffaw.