Did you know that the first-ever jokes in human history were related to things we do in the bathroom or bedroom? Yeah, I was surprised to know that, too.
Apparently, people laugh more at things that they find private, crude, or taboo — that’s until the joke does actually hurt anyone. In that case, the joke might turn dark and look like it came directly from the DC universe.
But what is it, exactly, that people find funny about sex jokes? Some people start laughing at such a joke even when they don’t find it funny. Why is that? Let me explain.
Here are a few reasons why people may laugh hysterically at private or sex jokes, making them more popular in the process.
1. Because… maybe the joke is actually funny?
We can’t deny the fact that some sexual jokes may turn out to be really funny. Here, I’m not talking about the amount of grossness that may be in the joke, but the actual fun factor of it.
Simply put, a person may be laughing at sex jokes because they also laugh at non-sexual jokes — it’s that simple.
2. To cover up insecurities
Let me tell you a story of someone I once met at a party. The guy was making a lot of sex jokes and was hysterically laughing when others were putting his jokes back on him. It didn’t make sense because he didn’t have to laugh that hard when he got a joke on him — but he did.
I thought maybe the guy was having some sort of mental angst.
On the next day, I found the guy was a 31-year-old virgin. That’s right, the guy was making that many sex jokes only because he was insecure with such topics.
According to surveys, people try to cover up their insecurities by making up jokes about them. Just like my guy was trying to cover his insecurities with sex by making similar jokes.
3. To counter the embarrassment
Let’s set up a context — shall we? Me (the writer) and you (the reader) are in a pub with a group of friends together. I suddenly crack a sex joke on you. You feel embarrassed — a bit angry too.
What do you do? You can go about the situation in a few ways.
You can either get offended and leave the group angrily. If you do this, then, of course, our group of friends will label you a crybaby or something.
Second, you could keep doing whatever you’re doing and not give out any reaction to the joke. By doing so, people will understand that you’re not that happy with the joke.
Third, you could laugh at the joke. When you do this, people won’t find it intrusive and think you’re enjoying the joke — even when you’re not. This is something humans understand naturally.
Hence, people tend to try and laugh at a sex joke — even when it’s targeted at them. By doing that, they can make up a perception that they aren’t embarrassed.
4. To cover up the fact that they didn’t understand the joke
When someone makes a joke and you don’t understand it, would you like to make it public that you don’t understand it? No, right? That’s the case with most individuals.
People don’t want to make it known that they don’t understand the joke. To cover up the fact, they try to act like they indeed understand it — even when they don’t.
And what’s the best way to show that you understand a joke? By laughing at it.
Humans, as the beings of communication, have understood this philosophy and try to comply with it whenever possible.
5. They’re easy to tell
Last but not least, sex jokes are easy to tell. If you tell a sex joke at a gathering of close people, most people will laugh at it. Simply put, sex jokes don’t need to be that good to make people laugh.
On the other hand, if it’s some other kind of a joke, it has to be really good. Otherwise, the audience won’t laugh at it and the teller will get embarrassed.
To stay away from this embarrassment and get maximum pros from the listeners, people prefer telling sex jokes more often.
The bottom line
So, there you have it — these are the top reasons why sex jokes are so popular.
There could also be several other reasons — but the ones mentioned in this post are the prominent ones. So, go forth and have a penis colada, find an orgasm donor, sit on a happy face and spank some midget lesbians today!