Science - Funny sexy

From an article in Nature:

[...]the conclusion of two recent studies that confirm a long-standing stereotype of flirting: that women like joky men, while men like women who laugh at their jokes.

[...]Women ranked the humorous men as better potential partners, the researchers found - and as more friendly, fun and popular. Men's view of a woman, on the other hand, appeared to be uninfluenced by her wit.

Bressler suspected that men and women do, in fact, both value a sense of humour in a mate, but that they might be looking for slightly different things: women valuing an ability to be funny and men valuing an ability to see the joke.

According to one theory, proposed by psychologist Geoffrey Miller at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, women prefer funny men because their wit reveals an active and healthy brain - and a fine set of underlying genes. "It's a very powerful and reliable way to show creativity and intelligence," Miller says.

Exactly what I've been thinking all along. Sadly for us:

The entire idea remains speculative, however. And this particular study only looked at humour in North American college students.

This does remind me of one of Roger's (from Roger Dodger) little speeches:

- Ask any woman, "What's the single most attractive quality a man can possess?"
And what do they invariably answer?
- Sense of humor.
- Sense of humor.
- Sense of humor is huge. Definitely.
And yet, if two lean, mean, play-by-their-own-rules, motorcycle-riding men strolled up to this booth, and beat the shit out of us two humorous guys, right, and asked you out for a ride, you would be weak at the knees.
- No way.
- Weak at the knees.
- Well, actually, guys who ride cycles are pretty sexy.
- Thank you. You see?
- Sorry.
The fact is that touchy-feely, weepy, in-touch-with-their-feelings guys...
make you sick-- you're repulsed by them.
Give me the Ice Age, okay? Survival of the fittest.
No mixed signals. No bullshit.
Just the meanest, hairiest bastard wins all the time.