Although odds are you probably knew this already

Sep 4, 2015 21:12 GMT  ·  By

A new study carried out by researchers at the University of Kansas in the US explores the role of humor in romantic attraction. 

As it turns out, a well-placed joke can do much more than your usual pickup lines when it comes to securing a date, especially when women are the audience.

To win over the ladies, make them laugh

The University of Kansas research team explain that, according to their investigations, women are more interested in dating a man who makes them giggle.

They say that, when two individuals meet, there is definitely potential for a relationship if the man proves funny. The more a woman laughs at his jokes, the more interested she is in seeing him again and the more likely she is in going out with him.

As part of their study, the researchers played the matchmakers and had 51 pairs of single men and women spend time alone in a room and chat for about 10 minutes. Then, they had them fill in questionnaires about their prospective partners.

They found that, when the women included in the study were paired with a man who was quite amusing, there were clear signs of romantic interest.

“Men might want to ditch the pickup lines and polish their punchlines in their quest to attract women,” the University of Kansas team recommend.

Then again, it appears that funniness does not make women more attractive to men. Thus, the researchers say that, when paired with an especially funny lady, the men included in the study didn't show romantic interest simply in response to laughter.

“The more times a man tried to be funny and the more times a woman laughed at his jokes, the more likely she was romantically interested. The reverse was not true for women who attempted humor.”

As for the pairs with the highest odds to make a romance work, they were the ones where both the men and the women laughed at each other's jokes, the researchers say.

Why humor matters when it comes to romance

The University of Kansas researchers believe that the reason humor appears to be so important when it comes to entering a new relationship is because being funny is an indicator of being a sociable, agreeable person.

Nobody wants a Scrooge by their side for what might be the rest of their life and so, naturally, funniness and attractiveness kind of, sort of go hand in hand.

The specialists go on to argue that, all things considered, it's safe to assume that men are all too aware that making women laugh is part of courtship and so cracking jokes when around prospective dates is a conscious strategy for them.