Comedy writer Ariane, who’s recently launched the first episode of her new podcast and has a brand new book coming out later this week, told Bored Panda that we can’t expect everyone to get jokes because not everyone’s looking for them. “I think some people just aren't used to looking for the humor in situations,” she said.

“Many people take life very seriously (like my mum, who can vaguely identify a joke but always laughs in the wrong place!). Alternatively, it could be the fault of the person telling the joke—the humor might be too subtle and not signposted enough,” she added that the responsibility for getting the joke falls on both the comedian and the listener.

However, if you find yourself constantly unable to get other people’s jokes, there’s really no other solution other than to politely ask for an explanation. It might kill the humor, but it’s also the only way to get to grips with what’s funny and why. If you’re feeling shy, consider asking for an explanation when there won’t be too many people around so you don’t embarrass yourself.

“There's no other way but to ask people what the joke is. Or you might want to keep it to yourself that you have an under-developed sense of humor,” the comedy expert quipped that we can always pretend that we got the joke. Though living with such a huge secret might be harder than it sounds.

I was also interested to get Ariane’s take on what people who take life far, far too seriously can do to lighten up and open themselves up to humor more. She said that meditation and [ahem] physical self-love “are two great ways to relax,” however, they might not necessarily help them “tune into the lighter side of life.”

These activities aren’t without their merits, however, and might help you if you’re constantly stressed out and overly serious. “They'll make you happier though, which is probably just as good.”