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"How much did Father Christmas's sled cost? Nothing, it was on the house."

This quip is met by moans that echo through a warehouse in the capital.

We're at a joke-testing session with a firm that produces supplies for social events. Its repertoire features festive crackers.

The firm's owner smiles, nearly sheepishly at the gag. But the pun has been selected and will appear in future crackers.

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

The key to a good holiday cracker joke is not the same as a stand-up gag in itself. It is entirely about the setting - in this case, the communal laughter of the Christmas dinner table with elders, children and possibly neighbours.

"You want the gag to be a thing that unites the child in harmony with the grandparent," she states.

The Neuroscience Of Shared Amusement

Coming together to experience shared laughter is not only ancient, scientists say, it is probably to be pre-human.

"Therefore when you are laughing with people at the holiday dinner you are engaging in what's very likely a truly primordial mammalian social vocalisation," says a neuroscience expert.

Shared laughter, she says, helps make and maintain social connections between people.

Scientists have discovered that a absence of such interactions can significantly harm mental and physical health.

"The people you talk to, and share laughter with, it leads to enhanced levels of 'happy chemical' release," she continues.

These natural chemicals are the brain's "feel-good compounds" and are produced both to alleviate stress and pain and in reaction to enjoyable experiences, such as chuckling with loved ones over a truly terrible Christmas cracker joke.

"It's not simply chuckling at a foolish pun with a Christmas cracker," the expert states. "You are actually doing a lot of the truly vital work of making, maintaining the connections you have with those you love."

Which Happens In the Brain?

But what is actually happening within the brain when we hear a gag?

A tremendous amount happens in reaction to comedy, it transpires.

Employing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a type of brain scanner which indicates which areas of the mind are working harder, researchers have been able to map the areas that receive more blood flow.

The research entails imaging the minds of healthy participants and then subjecting them to a collection of humorous phrases, paired with either a non-emotional sound, or recorded chuckles.

"During the study we got a really interesting pattern of neural activity," notes the professor.

A joke stimulates not just the areas of the mind in charge of hearing and interpreting speech, but also neural areas involved in both preparation and initiating movement and those involved in vision and memory.

Put all of this as a whole, and people listening to a pun have a sophisticated set of brain responses that underpin the laughter we hear.

The Infectious Power of Chuckles

Researchers discovered that when a humorous word is combined with laughter there is a greater response in the mind than the same word when accompanied by a non-emotional sound.

"This activation occurred in areas of the brain that you would use to move your expression into a smile or a laugh," the professor says.

It means we are not just responding to funny words, they are reacting to the amusement that accompanies them.

Amusement, says the professor, can be contagious.

So what does this mean for the chuckles found at a holiday gathering?

"People laugh more when you know others," she notes, "and you laugh more when you like them or care for them."

When it comes to festive cracker jokes, she explains, the positive factor is more likely to be caused not by the joke itself, but from the reaction to it.

"The laughter is key. The gag is the terrible Christmas cracker joke, and it's just a reason to laugh together."

The Quest for the Ideal Festive Pun

Will we ever discover the ultimate joke?

Likely not, but that has not prevented experts from trying to.

Years ago, a psychologist set up a scientific search for the world's funniest joke.

Over 40,000 gags submitted, with ratings provided by hundreds of thousands of people around the world, he has a clearer understanding than many as to what succeeds and what does not.

The ideal Christmas cracker pun must be brief, he explains.

"But they also need to be poor gags, jokes that make us groan," he continues.

The more "terrible" the joke, he states the better.

"This is because if no-one finds it funny – it's the gag's fault, not your own.

"The fascinating part about the holiday cracker jokes is that none of us considers them funny.

"It creates a shared experience at the table and I think it's wonderful."