http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/10/03/joke.funniest/index.html

I've seen that before, it's pretty funny but I don't think it is the funniest joke I've ever heard.

The same applies to me: funny, but not the best.

Same here. It is defenitely not the funniest one I have ever heard. But I guess it wasn't considered the funniest just because it got high ratings (others got higher), but because it had an appeal for just about everyone.

If this is the funniest joke in the world, how come nobody dies when they read it?

I thought the funniest joke, according to that study, was this:

Holmes and Watson are out camping. Holmes stares up at the night sky and asks Watson, "What do you deduce from seeing the stars?" Watson answers, "Well, there are billions of stars out there. And even if only a tiny percintile of them contain planets, and a tiny percentile of them contain habitable planets, and a tiny percentile of them contain water, then there must be life!"

Holmes responds: "No, you idiot, someone stole our tent!"

I actually didn't find this one funny at all, but I thought this was the "World's funniest joke".

Maybe by funniest, they don't mean actually ROTF funny. Maybe they mean the joke that was found to appeal to the widest variety of people. That's what I got from the article, at least.

Why is it the best?
Because it is cross-cultural?!?

Yep, it's pretty funny, but...

One doesn't think you'd be able to determine which joke's the best, it really depends on your location etc.