Psychologists Say Men Can 'Laugh Women Into Bed'

A new study highlighted in British paper 'The Telegraph' says men really can 'laugh women into bed', because a sense of humour makes them seem more intelligent than their counterparts.

Researchers believe women have evolved to find intelligence an attractive quality because it suggests that a man will be a good provider for her and her children.

Kristofor McCarty, from Northumbria University, who led the study, tells the paper: "A quick browse of lonely-hearts ads will confirm that women look for a good sense of humour in a potential partner � our research may explain why this is the case. The findings provide evidence that women use humour as an indication of a guy's intelligence."

"Intelligence is a very attractive quality as a clever man should be more able to provide resources for his offspring. But guys be warned: not just any gag will do. We discovered that the humour must be genuinely funny for the man to be judged as more intelligent."

To rate the attractiveness of a sense of humour in the study, 45 women were asked to read short descriptions of themselves compiled by 20 men, 10 of which were scored as extremely funny and 10 as only slightly funny.

The women were than asked how intelligent and honest they thought that the men were and how likely they would be to go on to develop a friendship or a long-term relationship with them.

The findings, to be presented at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference in Brighton today, show that men who used the funniest descriptions of themselves were thought to be significantly more intelligent than those who weren't as witty.

While women appear to prefer a man who makes them laugh, the psychologists say that previous studies have shown that the same does not hold true when the sexes are reversed.

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