What do you do when someone tells you a funny story that you don't think is funny?

I drily say: “Not funny”.

I like to stare silently with one eyebrow slightly arched until they ask, “What?!?”

I don’t laugh, that’s for sure.

Well, it depends. If we’re close enough to be completely honest, I wouldn’t laugh or I’d say that’s lame. If I don’t know them well, I’ll fake it.

I just say “hah, that’s funny” and smile.

I don’t like making people feel inadequate :P

i laugh along with them and change the subject so they dont dwell on it and think its amazing. when people tell you stories like that they tend to keep going back to it

I smile whoever it is. It’s hard sometimes to put oneself out there and tell a story. But if it’s someone I know well, after that I’ll say, “Har-dee-har-har,” if I thought it was lame, but I have to know that person really well.

depends who… family/girlfriend: just say ‘guess you had to be there!’ =P
Anyone else, just chuckle and change the subject pronto!

lol.. i usually fake a laugh… trying to hold that smile for as long as they are laughing, as i try scanning of ideas in my head to change the topic.

i usually dread when people want to tell me jokes, because i already know that i will probably not think it is that funny, or even get it. so as they are saying the joke, i am already practicing and anticipating the moment in my head when i need to start laughing or smiling. it’s horrible.

though, it is always awesome and a nice surprise when they do manage to make me rofl and lol. :D

@millastrellas Hahahahaha… I know exactly what your talking about. Both my uncles never stop telling jokes that aren’t funny. All I do is smile the whole way through. The worst is when I start laughing halfway through not realizing that wasn’t actually the punch line.

I am a staunch proponent of the chuckle-and-smile-awkwardly school of thought. My record seems to indicate that I also believe that eye contact should be avoided.

If I don’t secretly hate the person, I fake a laugh… or I just sorta stare…

If the story isn’t funny, the person’s hysterical reaction to it will make me laugh harder!

@dik2312, how funny. It is so much better when people tell me a joke over aim or text. lol. That way the faking gets even easier with multiple lol’s.

Though you can definitely tell when i am cracking up/ cannot breathe laughing.. my ROFLs will be constant and I will tell you how funny the joke is.

Do my best to communicate that I didn’t really find it funny without coming off as a dick. Try and say how unamusing it was in an amusing and friendly way and then move the conversation along.

I chuckle in the “I am because you are way” but will politely suggest that I don’t understand why they find it funny.

If I say anything, it is likely to be, “I guess you had to be there.”

Hasn’t everyone (I know I have) laughed at things that I knew were not that funny, but that just struck me and others present as hilarious at the time?

@richardhenry but your allowed… Your name is DICK :P

@richardhenry: Uber’s got you there.

laugh anyway and say “i needed to be there for that one.”

I smile politely if it’s someone I don’t know, and cross them off my list forever. If it’s someone I love, I say “You dork, that’s not funny, what’s the matter with you????” because I don’t want to encourage them to be boring.

if it’s someone i don’t really know, i’ll kind of just giggle (and it probably wouldn’t be completely fake, because if they’re laughing that hard at something completely not funny, that’s kind of silly in itself) or smile. who am i to ruin their mood? if they find it funny and it’s not offensive, i don’t want to bring them down, i’ll just let them laugh.
if it’s one of my good friends, i wouldn’t be that worried, they know they’re usually funny.