I wanted to ignore this ‘story’, I really did. It’s not even much of a story to begin with. But here we go.
A piece in the Metro this week is alleging that men don’t fancy funny women. So far, so old hat. What makes this story different is that this is the result of a scientific study on the subject. Women like men who make them laugh, men like women who laugh at their jokes but aren’t funny themselves.
Ladies, I had to weigh in on this one. I’m sure you understand.
First off – just how scientifically accurate is this study? A closer look at the article reveals that the survey group was 80 people. Now, this took place at the University of Miami. So that’s roughly a sample size of 0.02% of Miami’s population, let alone the rest of the world. Something tells me this may not be representative of opinions as a whole.
We’re told this new research confirms a 2006 study – which I’ve taken the liberty of tracking down for you. ‘Production and appreciation of humour as sexually selected traits’ by Bressler, Martin and Balshine, if you’re interested. And I’m not even going to make a joke about the name ‘Balshine’.
It did indeed come to the same conclusion about male and female preferences in a mate. The telling bit, though, is in the abstract (in US English):
“Women preferred those who produced humor for all types of relationships, whereas men preferred those who were receptive to their own humor, particularly for sexual relationships.”
Yep, folks, this is all really about sex. Ain’t that the truth.
The other important thing to note is this: “In each pair, one partner was described as receptive to humor but not funny themselves, and the other partner was described as very funny, but not interested in the humorous remarks of others.”
That’s a vital point. Being a funny woman does not automatically mean you don’t find anyone else funny. Adding that trait is very likely to have influenced the results.
Secondly, this story comes from the Metro, and has duly been picked up by the Daily Mail. These two publications are to serious journalism what the Big Mac is to gourmet cuisine.
At the Daily Mail, we’re treated to something even better than a scientific study. We get an added opinion on the subject from someone who hasn’t quite finished a PhD. That’s actually an extra insult to (coincidentally female) researcher Liana Hone, who could have contributed to this article quite nicely without being described in such a subtly underhanded way.
How do you feel about this new study? Let us know. We’re particularly interested in hearing from men who do love funny women, as you’re not getting much of a voice on this one.
