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"What was the price did Father Christmas's sleigh cost? Nothing, it was on the house."

This one-liner is greeted with groans that echo through a warehouse in London.

This describes a joke-testing meeting with a firm that produces supplies for social events. Its catalogue includes festive crackers.

The company's owner smiles, almost sheepishly at the joke. But the joke has made the cut and will feature in upcoming crackers.

"The success is gauged by the gag by the number of groans and the loudness of the groans at the table," the founder explains.

The key to a great Christmas cracker pun is not the same as a stand-up gag per se. It is entirely about the context - in this instance, the shared laughter of the Christmas dinner table with grandparents, kids and potentially neighbours.

"The goal is for the joke to be a thing that brings the eight-year-old in harmony with the grandparent," she adds.

The Science Of Communal Amusement

Coming together to enjoy shared amusement is not only nothing new, scientists argue, it is likely to be pre-human.

"So when you are chuckling with people around the holiday table you are dropping into what's very likely a truly ancient mammalian social vocalisation," says a neuroscience expert.

Shared laughter, she explains, helps make and maintain social connections between individuals.

Scientists have discovered that a absence of these interactions can significantly damage both psychological and bodily health.

"The people you converse with, and share laughter with, it results in enhanced levels of 'happy chemical' uptake," she continues.

These natural chemicals are the body's "happy chemicals" and are released both to reduce stress and pain and in reaction to enjoyable experiences, such as laughing with loved ones over a truly awful Christmas cracker joke.

"It's not simply chuckling at a silly joke with a Christmas cracker," the expert says. "You are actually doing a lot of the really vital work of making, maintaining the connections you have with those you care about."

Which Happens Inside the Mind?

But what is actually taking place within the mind when we hear a gag?

An awful lot happens in reaction to comedy, it transpires.

Using brain scanning technology, a kind of brain scanner which shows which parts of the mind are more active, researchers have been able to chart the regions that get more blood flow.

Testing entails scanning the minds of volunteer subjects and then subjecting them to a collection of funny words, paired with either a neutral sound, or recorded chuckles.

"During the study we observed a really fascinating pattern of neural activity," notes the neuroscientist.

A joke activates not just the areas of the mind responsible for auditory processing and understanding speech, but also brain areas associated with both preparation and initiating movement and those involved in vision and memory.

Put these elements as a whole, and people listening to a joke have a sophisticated series of brain reactions that support the amusement we experience.

The Infectious Nature of Laughter

Scientists discovered that when a funny word is paired with laughter there is a greater response in the mind than the identical word when accompanied by a non-emotional sound.

"This activation occurred in parts of the mind that you would use to move your expression into a grin or a laugh," the professor explains.

It indicates people are not just reacting to humorous jokes, they are responding to the laughter that follows them.

Amusement, says the professor, can be contagious.

So what does this mean for the laughter heard at a Christmas gathering?

"People laugh harder when you know people," she notes, "and you laugh more when you are fond of them or care for them."

When it comes to Christmas cracker puns, she says, the feel-good factor is more likely to be caused not by the gag in itself, but from the response to it.

"It's the laughter. The gag is the dreadful Christmas cracker joke, and it's just a reason to chuckle as a group."

The Quest for the Perfect Cracker Joke

Is it possible to discover the ultimate joke?

Probably not, but that has not stopped experts from attempting to.

Years ago, a psychologist set up a scientific project for the planet's funniest gag.

More than 40,000 jokes later, with ratings provided by 350,000 participants around the world, he has a clearer understanding than most as to what works and what fails.

The ideal Christmas cracker pun must be short, he says.

"They must also need to be bad gags, puns that make us moan," he adds.

The more "awful" the gag, he states the better.

"This is because if nobody laughs – it's the joke's shortcoming, not yours.

"The fascinating part about the holiday cracker puns is that not one person find them funny.

"It creates a common moment at the gathering and I think it's lovely."