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"How much did Santa's sled cost? Zero, it was on the house."

This quip is greeted with moans that echo through a warehouse in the capital.

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

The company's founder smiles, nearly apologetically at the gag. But the joke has been selected and will appear in future crackers.

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

The secret to a great holiday cracker pun is not the identical as a stand-up gag in itself. It is entirely about the setting - in this instance, the communal laughter of the Christmas meal with grandparents, kids and potentially friends.

"You want the joke to be something that brings the child in harmony with the grandparent," she adds.

The Science Of Communal Amusement

Coming together to experience shared laughter is not only nothing new, scientists argue, it is likely to be older than humanity.

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

Shared amusement, she says, aids in make and maintain social connections between people.

Researchers have discovered that a lack of these social exchanges can significantly damage mental and physical well-being.

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

Endorphins are the brain's "happy chemicals" and are produced both to alleviate tension and discomfort and in reaction to pleasurable experiences, such as laughing with loved ones over a truly awful festive cracker gag.

"You're not just chuckling at a silly joke with a holiday cracker," the expert states. "You are in fact performing a lot of the really vital task of making, maintaining the social bonds you have with the people you care about."

Which Happens In the Brain?

But what is truly happening within the mind when we hear a gag?

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

Using brain scanning technology, a type of brain scanner which indicates which parts of the mind are more active, scientists have been able to map the areas that receive more blood flow.

The research involves imaging the minds of volunteer subjects and then exposing them to a database of humorous phrases, accompanied by either a neutral sound, or recorded laughter.

"During the study we observed a very interesting activation pattern of neural activity," says the professor.

A gag activates not just the areas of the mind responsible for auditory processing and interpreting language, but also neural areas associated with both preparation and initiating motion and those involved in vision and recall.

Combine these elements together, and individuals listening to a joke have a sophisticated series of brain responses that underpin the laughter we hear.

The Infectious Power of Chuckles

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

"This activation occurred in parts of the mind that you would employ to move your face into a smile or a laugh," the professor says.

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

Laughter, says the expert, can be contagious.

So what does this imply for the laughter heard at a Christmas table?

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

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

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

The Search for the Perfect Cracker Joke

Will we ever discover the ultimate joke?

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

In 2001, a psychologist established a scientific project for the world's funniest gag.

Over tens of thousands of gags later, with scores lodged by hundreds of thousands of participants globally, he has a clearer idea than many as to what succeeds and what does not.

The perfect festive cracker pun needs to be brief, he says.

"They must also be poor gags, puns that cause us to groan," he continues.

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

"This is because if nobody finds it funny – it's the joke's fault, not your own.

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

"It creates a common experience around the table and I think it's wonderful."