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

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

We're at a joke-testing meeting with a company that produces products for social events. Its repertoire features festive crackers.

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

"The success is gauged by the gag by the volume of moans and the intensity of the groans at the table," she explains.

The secret to a great Christmas cracker pun is not the identical as a good joke per se. It is all about the setting - in this instance, the shared amusement of the Christmas meal with elders, children and possibly neighbours.

"The goal is for the joke to be something that unites the eight-year-old together with the grandparent," she adds.

The Neuroscience Behind Shared Laughter

Coming together to enjoy shared laughter is not only ancient, experts argue, it is likely to be older than humanity.

"So when you are chuckling with people at the Christmas dinner you are dropping into what's very likely a really ancient mammal play vocalisation," explains a neuroscience expert.

Communal amusement, she explains, helps forge and strengthen social bonds between individuals.

Researchers have found that a lack of such social exchanges can significantly damage both psychological and bodily health.

"The people you talk to, and laugh with, it results in increased levels of 'happy chemical' release," the professor continues.

Endorphins are the body's "happy chemicals" and are released both to alleviate tension and discomfort and in reaction to enjoyable activities, such as chuckling with loved ones over a particularly awful Christmas cracker gag.

"You're not just chuckling at a silly pun with a Christmas cracker," the expert says. "You are in fact performing a lot of the really vital task of making, maintaining the connections you have with those you love."

What Occurs In the Brain?

But what is actually happening inside the mind when we listen to a gag?

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

Using brain scanning technology, a type of neural imager which shows which parts of the brain are working harder, researchers have been able to chart the areas that receive more blood flow.

The research entails imaging the brains of healthy participants and then exposing them to a collection of funny phrases, accompanied by either a neutral sound, or recorded laughter.

"In the scanner we observed a really fascinating activation pattern of neural activity," notes the neuroscientist.

A joke activates not just the parts of the mind in charge of hearing and understanding speech, but also brain regions involved in both planning and starting movement and those linked to sight and recall.

Put these elements as a whole, and individuals hearing a pun have a sophisticated set of brain reactions that support the laughter we hear.

The Contagious Power of Chuckles

Scientists found that when a humorous phrase is combined with laughter there is a stronger response in the brain than the identical phrase when followed by a neutral sound.

"This activation occurred in areas of the mind that you would employ to move your face into a grin or a chuckle," she explains.

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

Laughter, according to the professor, can be infectious.

So what does this mean for the chuckles heard around a holiday gathering?

"You laugh harder when you know people," she says, "and you laugh further when you like them or love them."

When it comes to Christmas cracker jokes, she explains, the positive factor is more probable to be caused not by the gag itself, but from the response to it.

"It's the laughter. The joke is the terrible holiday cracker pun, and it's just a reason to chuckle together."

The Quest for the Ideal Festive Pun

Is it possible to find the ultimate gag?

Probably not, but that has not prevented researchers from trying to.

In 2001, a psychologist set up a scientific search for the planet's funniest joke.

Over tens of thousands of jokes submitted, with ratings lodged by hundreds of thousands of participants globally, he has a clearer understanding than many as to what works and what does not.

The perfect Christmas cracker pun must be short, he explains.

"But they also be poor jokes, jokes that cause us to moan," he adds.

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

"The reason is that if nobody finds it funny – it's the joke's fault, not your own.

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

"It creates a shared moment around the table and I think it's wonderful."