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

This quip is greeted with moans that resonate through a storage facility in the capital.

We're at a joke-testing session with a company that makes supplies for social events. Its catalogue includes festive crackers.

The firm's owner smiles, nearly sheepishly at the gag. But the joke has made the cut and will feature in future crackers.

"You measure the joke by the volume of moans and the intensity of the groans around the table," the founder explains.

The secret to a good Christmas cracker pun is not the identical as a good gag per se. It is entirely about the setting - in this case, the communal amusement of the Christmas dinner table with grandparents, kids and potentially friends.

"The goal is for the joke to be something that unites the child together with the 80-year-old," she states.

The Neuroscience Behind Shared Laughter

Coming together to experience communal amusement is not only nothing new, scientists say, it is probably to be older than humanity.

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

Communal laughter, she says, aids in make and maintain social bonds between people.

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

"The people you talk to, and laugh with, it results in enhanced amounts of 'happy chemical' uptake," the professor adds.

These natural chemicals are the body's "happy chemicals" and are produced both to reduce tension and discomfort and in reaction to pleasurable activities, such as chuckling with friends over a truly terrible Christmas cracker gag.

"You're not just laughing at a foolish joke with a Christmas cracker," the expert states. "You are actually doing a lot of the really vital task of building, preserving the social bonds you have with the people you care about."

What Happens Inside the Mind?

But what is truly happening inside the mind when we hear a joke?

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

Using brain scanning technology, a type of brain scanner which shows which areas of the mind are more active, researchers have been able to map the regions that receive more blood.

Testing involves scanning the brains of volunteer subjects and then subjecting them to a collection of humorous words, paired with either a neutral sound, or pre-recorded chuckles.

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

A gag activates not just the parts of the brain in charge of hearing and understanding language, but also neural areas involved in both preparation and starting motion and those linked to vision and recall.

Combine all of this together, and individuals hearing a pun have a complex set of brain reactions that support the laughter we experience.

The Infectious Power of Laughter

Scientists discovered that when a humorous phrase is paired with laughter there is a greater reaction in the mind than the identical phrase when accompanied by a non-emotional sound.

"This activation occurred in parts of the mind that you would employ to move your expression into a smile or a chuckle," the professor explains.

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

Laughter, according to the expert, can be contagious.

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

"People laugh more when you are familiar with people," she says, "and laughter increases more when you like them or love them."

When it comes to festive cracker puns, she explains, the positive factor is more probable to be triggered not by the gag itself, but from the response to it.

"The laughter is key. The joke is the dreadful Christmas cracker pun, and it's just a pretext to laugh as a group."

The Search for the Perfect Festive Pun

Is it possible to find the ultimate gag?

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

In 2001, a professor set up a research project for the world's funniest joke.

More than 40,000 jokes submitted, with ratings lodged by hundreds of thousands of participants around the world, he has a better understanding than many as to what works and what fails.

The ideal Christmas cracker pun needs to be short, he explains.

"They must also need to be poor jokes, jokes that make us moan," he adds.

The increasingly "terrible" the gag, he says the better.

"This is because if nobody laughs – it's the gag's fault, not your own.

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

"That's a common moment around the gathering and I believe it's lovely."