New Jersey is skeptical when it comes to April Fools

I have always known there is a significant amount of skepticism here in New Jersey when it comes to getting pranked, especially on April Fool’s Day.

We pride ourselves here in the Garden State as people who maintain a little street smarts and for the most part keep our eyes wide open when we leave the comfort of home.

According to a new study by Hard Rock Bet which analyzed Google search data for over 100 skeptical inquires including searches like “is this real”, fact checker and is it April Fools.

New Jersey ranked 14th overall as the most skeptical state. Here in New Jersey, we average 3,320 monthly searches in seeking the truth.

With the additional and substantial increase of AI, images, facts, and pictures are suspect. So, to know what you see as the truth needs to be vetted to make sure that what you are seeing, reading or hearing is the truth.

That is not to say that here in Jersey we like a good joke. I certainly have been the butt of a couple of world-class jokes. I was in a physical rehab center for a lengthy stay some years ago, and my friends came over one day to visit. My friend Tom put a sign over my head while I was distracted. I see my friend giggle. In walks a nurse’s aide, and out she goes to stop the head nurse and says, “When did Big Joe request a DNR (do not resuscitate) the head nurse says, “What are you talking about?” She storms in, sees the sign, laughs and rips it off the wall. For my friends and me, that was very funny. There were others, but you got the idea.

I always think that if you can have a joke that is not mean in spirit, or cause injury either emotionally or physically, then you can laugh. It is good, clean fun that lifts you with laughter.

It is good to be skeptical, and it is good to have a laugh. Be careful out there.