National Tell A Joke Day

National Tell A Joke Day, celebrated annually on August 16, is an unofficial holiday with no documented founder. The day honors jokes, gags, puns, pickup lines and memes, celebrating the many ways humans use humor to connect and entertain. Laughter reduces stress, boosts mood, and strengthens social bonds, making humor an essential part of daily life.

Jokes have a long history across cultures, from ancient Greek and Roman humor to clever wordplay in folk tales and modern memes. Sharing a joke is not only fun—it also demonstrates wit, creativity, and cultural awareness.

😆 National Tell A Joke Day is similar with with International Joke Day (July 1), World Laughter Day (first Sunday of May), and April Fools’ Day (April 1), which all emphasize humor in different ways.

When Is Tell A Joke Day?

National Tell A Joke Day is celebrated each year on August 16. This fun observance honors all forms of humor—jokes, gags, puns, pickup lines, memes, and more—encouraging laughter, creativity, and connection.

Fun Facts about the Benefits of Laughter

Laughter isn’t just fun; it’s also incredibly beneficial for our health. Studies have shown that laughing can:

• Reduce Stress: Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, improving your resistance to disease.
• Boost Heart Health: Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect against heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems.
• Burn Calories: Laughing for 10-15 minutes a day can burn about 40 calories — enough to shed 3-4 pounds over a year!
• Improve Mental Health: Laughter can help lessen your anxiety and depression and may make you feel happier.

How to Celebrate National Tell A Joke Day

Celebrating National Tell A Joke Day is easy. Apart from the obvious—telling someone a joke–there are a few other things you can do as well:

1. Watch a Comedy Show: Spend the evening watching stand-up comedy, sitcoms, or comedy films.
2. Read a Joke Book: Dive into a book of jokes and find new favorites to share.
3. Create Your Own Jokes: Challenge yourself to come up with original jokes. You might discover a hidden talent for comedy!

Famous Jokes from History

Jokes have been around for centuries, and many have stood the test of time. Here are a few classics:

• Groucho Marx: “I never forget a face, but in your case, I’ll be glad to make an exception.”
• Oscar Wilde: “I can resist everything except temptation.” (Oscar Wilde, from his play “Lady Windermere’s Fan”)
• Dorothy Parker: “If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.” (Dorothy Parker, a renowned poet and satirist)
• Aristotle: “Why was the math book sad? Because it had too many problems.”

Quick Jokes to Make You Laugh Right Now

1. Why don’t skeletons fight each other? They don’t have the guts.
2. What do you call fake spaghetti? An impasta.
3. How does a penguin build its house? Igloos it together.

Remember, no matter how you choose to celebrate, the goal is simple: to laugh and make others laugh. Happy National Tell A Joke Day!

Before You Go:

We have many more national days lists for you to explore.

• Food-related national days: complete list of national food days, pasta & noodles days, vegan & vegetarian days, mushroom days, ice-cream days, pizza days, coffee days, chocolate days, wine days, alcohol & drinking days.
• Non-food national days: National Days Calendar 2025 (check out the printable calendars in my Etsy shop), National Days for Teachers, and a wide array of special lists such as cat days, dog days, animal days, cleaning & organizing days, book days, music days, family & relationships days, national days for women, stationery days and even Harry Potter days.
• Country-specific national days: Australian national days, more coming soon.

📝 This article was originally published on July 30th, 2024. It has been thoroughly updated, and the publishing date has been changed to reflect the new version.