Nobody laughs at your jokes? It's all in the genes

Well the chances are you should just give up now, because being funny, it seems, is not something that can be learned. You're either born with funny bones or you're not.

Psychologist and humour researcher Professor Richard Wiseman says being funny can't be learned like a language or a musical instrument.

Edinburgh's International Science Festival will host a debate next month on the psychology of comedy – why some of us are funny and others are not.

Wiseman, who will take part in the debate, said plenty of evidence showed that funny, and therefore more likeable, people enjoyed better personal and professional lives."

Comedians will talk about having 'funny bones' – being naturally funny," Wiseman said. "I don't think you ever can actually learn it. I think it is a natural ability.

"That's true of most people. It is very hard to teach somebody to be funnier, to be more light-hearted, because it is a way of looking at the world and if you don't have that, it is a bit like teaching them to be a better artist. It is not really going to happen."

Scottish comic Craig Hill said he knew someone who tried all different types of comedy but was successful in none.

"Now he doesn't do comedy at all," he said.

Hill said it was possible that humour could be genetic, as his non-identical, "painfully shy" twin brother

"is very funny".

But Tommy Sheppard, director of the Stand Comedy Club, said he believed there were ways to make people funnier.

"I don't think you can teach people wit.

That said, you can learn how to express your wit and funniness. There are a lot of tried and tested techniques."