For a nation that brought us everything from Beethoven to lederhosen, it seems joke is no laughing matter.
Yes, Germany has been named the least funny country in the world.
The survey of 30,000 people in 15 countries was conducted for social networking site Badoo.com.
“Germans are brilliant at so many things, including making cars and beating us at football,” the Daily Mail quoted Badoo.com spokesman Lloyd Price as saying.
“Unfortunately, telling jokes isn’t always one of them. If only there was a comedy World Cup, we might stand a chance against them,” he added.
The stereotype of German humourlessness is believed to derive from their reputation for efficiency, punctuality and rationality, presumed to be at the expense of humour.
Examples of German jokes include: ‘Yesterday, I met my friend Horst at the hospital. He’d swallowed a sponge. He says it doesn’t hurt but he’s always thirsty’.