Life may seem tough at times but the average American still laughs eight times a day — and they’re chuckling over all sorts of things, according to new research.
A study examining how and why we laugh found “things that kids say” ranked top of the frequent laughter causes for Americans, with TV sitcoms, memes, animal videos and reality TV rounding off the top five.
Dad jokes, knock knock jokes, mispronunciations, bad pictures, puns and even people tripping finished off the top 10 things most likely to raise laughter in respondents.
And while Americans get the giggles frequently, the survey of 2,000 people sadly found that a large number of us tend to feel self-conscious when we have a giggle.
The new study, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Snow Teeth Whitening, revealed that 57 percent of Americans cover their mouths when they laugh due to insecurity over their teeth — and one in two will always often try to smile with their mouth closed.
Young adults are even more uneasy when they laugh seeing as 62 percent of people ages 25-44 cover their mouths whereas only 20 percent of people 45 and up do the same.
Seven in 10 people admit to feeling self-conscious about their teeth and, unfortunately, a lot of the criticism is coming from those closest to them.
One in four have received a negative comment about their teeth from a significant other or coworker.
These insecurities have led to 61 percent of Americans wishing they could change something about their teeth with lack of whiteness coming out on top of the list followed by: crookedness, receding gums, and spaces between teeth.
When it comes to overall facial features, teeth were the number one insecurity beating out eyes, nose, lips, and eyebrows.
Said a spokesperson for Snow Teeth Whitening: “We had a hunch that the #1 physical trait preference in a partner was their smile, and this poll confirmed it by a landslide. Teeth whitening has never been as important as now; in the age of dating apps and social media popularity.”
Even though so many feel self-conscious about their smile, it’s still considered the most attractive physical quality with eyes, hair and skin also making the list.
In spite of all the concern surrounding Americans’ teeth, many still aren’t taking good care of their oral hygiene and 44 percent wish they did a better job.
One in five people admit to brushing their teeth less than the recommended twice a day.
Everyone knows they should floss, but it’s still pretty shocking that one in five people floss less than once a month.
While the dentist is far from anyone’s favorite place, one in six have either never been or can’t remember when their last visit was.
People can come up with plenty of different reasons to want to put it off; one in five men keep away because they don’t like the smell of the dentist office.
Women have a far more practical excuse – 45 percent wish they could steer clear from the dentist chair because of the expense.
“The fact that people would rather sit in silence or watch the same movie 3-times instead of go to the dentist is sad, yet not surprising,” said the spokesperson for Snow Teeth Whitening. “The survey also revealed that people are more afraid of the dentist than clowns and needles. At Snow, we aim to bring revolutionary convenience with premium at-home oral care to help change the perspective of taking care of your teeth. Our customers should always want our products, not just need them.”
What people would rather do than go to the dentist
| Watch the same movie 3 times | 30% |
| Sit in silence for 45 minutes | 30% |
| Walk 5 miles | 26% |
| Babysit an infant for 3 hours | 25% |
| Have dinner with the in-laws | 25% |
| Read the dictionary | 22% |
| Listen to opera for two hours | 22% |
| Think about your retirement plan | 20% |
| Catch up with an ex-partner for 90 minutes | 19% |
| Change a tire | 18% |