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Some people take more time than others to wrap their heads around jokes. Innuendos and clever puns usually carry a hidden meaning, which might seem confusing at first. In fact, research shows that nearly 70% of people laugh at jokes they don’t understand. An abundance of such instances can be found online, as the internet is a treasure trove of jokes, witty comments, and other frivolous material to make people laugh.

Here at Bored Panda, we dove into the depths of the That's the Joke subreddit to bring some examples of people unintentionally missing the gag line. And they might be funnier than the actual jests. Make yourself some popcorn and start scrolling through.

P.S. If you want to continue the involuntary abb workout, make sure to check out these jokes that are so bad they’re actually great.

Research suggests that humor and insight comprehension stimulate the same brain areas. This implies that both require a bit of effort to be fathomed. It comes as no surprise, since humor is a complex form of communication. 

It not only relies on linguistic means but involves other important components, such as perception and context, among others. Listening to grown-up jokes during family get-togethers didn’t seem so funny as a child, did it? While now you’re cracking one-liners about politics together with uncle Tom. This is due to a better understanding you get that comes with experience and knowledge in certain fields.

Research shows that when stated in a humorous way, the message is retained better. In addition to that, according to the same research, humor comprehension in the brain correlates to considering other people’s psychological state.

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Also known as mentalization, this ability is crucial in order to use humor as a form of communication or entertainment. Only when you are able to understand others can you begin to understand what might be funny to them.

A detailed analysis of humor and mentalization shows that a joke is best within a certain frame of intentionality. Different levels of intentionality comprise the process of mentalization and account for how well comedy will be understood by the audience. The person telling the joke has to reach a level high enough to be funny, but low enough to be intelligible. That emphasizes another factor when it comes to understanding jokes—knowing your audience.

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#7

The Comment My Cousin Made To A Post My Sister Shared On Facebook

The Comment My Cousin Made To A Post My Sister Shared On Facebook

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Research on audience characteristics states that the listener’s tendency to laugh is a great factor when it comes to delivering jokes. People tend to have a rather fixed sense of humor, which helps if you know them well. That is why adjusting your content accordingly might save you from a moment of crickets instead of laughter.

Nevertheless, knowing your audience is not always possible, especially if the jokes are told to the vast public online. Luckily, in instances like that, the receivers can find solace in the helping hand of the internet. The survey about people that laugh without understanding jokes also stated that more than half of the respondents (56%) have had to look up the meaning of a joke to comprehend it.

#9

Found This On A Different Subreddit. Sorry To The Hardcore Redditers For Reposting

Found This On A Different Subreddit. Sorry To The Hardcore Redditers For Reposting

RoostarHead Report

#10

Amy Schumer Isn’t Funny

Amy Schumer Isn’t Funny

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#11

Haha Yes Tumblr Moment

Haha Yes Tumblr Moment

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all 4 paws
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

a hyenas laugh is actually a sign of pain. So I've been thinking, maybe im a hyena?? Not a cat??

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#14

How Does This Have 110 Likes

How Does This Have 110 Likes

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#15

First Of All, The Repost, Then This Comment

First Of All, The Repost, Then This Comment

Viksome_12 Report

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Liz
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Paperwork. But also the weird patriarchal ownership over women that trades us between men, from father to husband, and wipes away our matrilineal lineage. But also…paperwork.

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#18

They Should Make A Joke About That

They Should Make A Joke About That

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Hotdogking
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And in a surprising twist, two people and counting were affected by the whoosh in the comments, more updates as the story develops!

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#19

S**t Quality Btw

S**t Quality Btw

ThisTook1Hour Report

#21

Room Temperature Iq On This One

Room Temperature Iq On This One

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Liz
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wow that’s one hell of a guess for never having seen the show! What are the odds??

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#22

And It Was The Top Comment Too

And It Was The Top Comment Too

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Hotdogking
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Imma be honest, it took me way longer than it should’ve to understand what the post meant😳. Edit to clarify: I meant it took me to long to figure out what “rub one off” meant. It’s a running joke among my friends that I am the most innocent man alive. For example, I had to have Hickeys explained to me last month (I’m 18)

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#23

No Way... I Mean Let's Ignore Cloths

No Way... I Mean Let's Ignore Cloths

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#24

🙂

🙂

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HelluvaHedgehogAlien
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I pause multiplayer games to feed my yelling cats and dog and turtles. Then I get tons of angry screaming that’s ALMOST as bad as the cats’ from the people who ditched me because I wasn’t moving and run ahead, only to discover I was the only one who had enough weapons to beat that thing up front. I’m a jerk in multiplayers like that.

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#26

C’mon Man I Made It So Obvious

C’mon Man I Made It So Obvious

RandomStupidClips Report

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#28

Oof He Got You There

Oof He Got You There

MooxBoi Report

#29

That One Person Who Ruins The Joke

That One Person Who Ruins The Joke

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#31

The Caption... Yeah No S**t

The Caption... Yeah No S**t

skittlepiddle Report

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Liz
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“Can you send me some pics that you took outside of your modeling job for shutterstock?”

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#32

I Mean.... Yeah It Is

I Mean.... Yeah It Is

AndrewAllStar888 Report

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HelluvaHedgehogAlien
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Huh… it is the same price, but it is NOT the same price in my mental brain cell circuit! No one is convincing me otherwise! :D

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#33

You'd Think Someone In A Meme Subreddit Would Catch On

You'd Think Someone In A Meme Subreddit Would Catch On

Aneides_Aeneus Report

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#35

I Sure Did!!!!

I Sure Did!!!!

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#36

When An Entire Sub Whooshes As One

When An Entire Sub Whooshes As One

852derek852 Report

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Zephyr343
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Have a strong feeling that I purchased my house from them....it is full of stuff like this.

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#38

Didn’t Really Need Any Explanation, But Apparently 161 Others Felt It Did

Didn’t Really Need Any Explanation, But Apparently 161 Others Felt It Did

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Zephyr343
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I drive more than all my victi....I mean passengers combined.

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#41

Sorry For Sh** Cropping

Sorry For Sh** Cropping

pyro-fanboy Report

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#47

That Is In Fact The Joke, Thanks U/Jesstgefangirl_

That Is In Fact The Joke, Thanks U/Jesstgefangirl_

InconspicousJerk Report

#48

Well Done

Well Done

PerfectMemester Report

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Zephyr343
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I should have held out. I did a face reveal for a Whopper and a deep sense of regret.

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#49

Thank God He Pointed That Out!

Thank God He Pointed That Out!

Spergle Report

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#51

Toph Be Like: Akdbdbwkaheeid

Toph Be Like: Akdbdbwkaheeid

AquaticSombrero Report

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Well-Dressed Wolf
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For those who do not know the reference: these are characters from the cartoon Avatar: the Last Airbender. Toph is blind.

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