Think The Office is hilarious? Well, you’re not the only one. According to a new study, it’s been crowned the funniest TV sitcom of all time.
With Google searches for ‘best sitcoms on Netflix’ rising by 140% in 2020, OnBuy.com has revealed the comedy shows that are the most likely to give us the most full-on LOL moments.
To compile the data, OnBuy.com surveyed 2,712 fans and asked them to name the top 10 funniest sitcoms of all time. The team then arranged for 120 volunteers to watch the top 10 and measured the total laughter duration for each show.
Measured in decibels (how cool!), they were able to rank which shows were the funniest with the most amount of people.
According to the survey, the US version of The Office had people laughing for one minute and 45 seconds in a total of two hours and 48 minutes of viewing.
Coming in second place was the Andy Samberg hit, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, giving one minute and 38 seconds of laughter per hour, with season five being the funniest of all, and season six the least.
Coming in last in their top ten was The Big Bang Theory, which only garnered six seconds of laughter with their funniest season being number three and their least funny, season four.
According to Lee Chambers, psychologist and wellbeing consultant, sitcoms give us optimism and hope and permission to be imperfect.
“They give us characters to connect with, laugh with, and commiserate with. And in the end, life is always good, and this is liberating. It also takes less concentration to watch familiar sitcoms, and even rewatching them breeds affection as it’s easier on the mind,” she said.
“Given the underlying anxiety caused by a global pandemic, and the stress of uncertain futures, laughter is even more important. Laughter can trigger the release of endorphins, improving your mood, and can diffuse anger and frustration, making it a healthy way to express the negative emotions we will all be feeling in this challenging time. It is infectious and like a hug in these times of decreased physical contact.”
The Top 10 list of funniest sitcoms according to OnBuy.com are as follows:
☆ The Office (US)
☆ Brooklyn Nine-Nine
☆ Community
☆ Parks and Recreation
☆ It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
☆ Arrested Development
☆ Friends
☆ How I Met Your Mother
☆ Two and a Half Men
☆ The Big Bang Theory