Forget common sense: being funny on the first date is more of a hindrance than a help

You know that funny person who makes you laugh on the first date and breaks the ice to create a more pleasant atmosphere? So, know that, statistically speaking, there are high chances of this relationship not avenge.

Research carried out at the University of Queensland, in Australia, showed that funny people on the first date can hinder the success of the relationship.

According to the analysis, carried out in partnership with the University of Stirling (England) which evaluated more than 800 meetings, it was evident that there is no connection between humor and attractiveness.

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Smile, but not too much

The reason for this disconnect between attraction and humor lies in the fact that not all people are naturally funny. Therefore, trying to make the other person laugh can be interpreted as a forced gesture.

Furthermore, researchers point out that there is a gender difference when it comes to the importance given to the partner’s mood. In short: both men and women are not motivated to find someone attractive because of their jokes.

According to psychologist Henry Wainwright, the main person responsible for the study, the research findings make perfect sense when compared to the theory that the humor is an evolutionary advantage:

“In the past, it was believed that being attracted to funny people was advantageous because your children would be more likely to inherit beneficial traits, such as intelligence.”

To perform the analyzes that led to the test’s main conclusion, the researchers used approximately 554 participants. These people participated in 800 meetings.

The team of scientists paired up for speed dating with a member of the opposite sex. Each date lasted 3 minutes, and after it ended, participants had to respond to ratings about how much they appreciated their partner’s humor.

Furthermore, researchers observed the behavior of couples in order to record how often the lovers laughed.

At first, the research leaned towards the conclusion that, in fact, people like people who make them laugh, especially women.

However, upon closer analysis, the preference for funny partners did not keep pace.

“We found that, regardless of gender, participants who laughed at their partner more or were laughed at more often did not rate their partner as more or less attractive. Our results suggest that trying to be overly funny on a date may be more counterproductive than helpful — you should just be yourself.”

It is believed that the research, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviorwill help scientists better understand the origins of humor.

This is a subject widely discussed by the scientific community, and, to date, the main theory is that the sense of humor is part of the human evolution.