Quickie: What Is the Real Role of Humor in Romantic Relationships?

Research links humor and relationship satisfaction

Women have the reputation for judging their suitors based on their ability to make them laugh — and researchers say this can be attributed to the sexual script they play out as they’re getting to know each other.

“When men play the role of comedian and women the role of audience, both are performing gender-prescribed roles to show they are interested in the conversation continuing,” said researcher Jeffrey Hall.

But what role does humor play in long-term relationships?

“In the courtship stage, women are overvaluing men’s comedic skill….”

In order to find out, Hall reviewed ten studies about humor and relationship satisfaction among people in long-term relationships, and found that although women are known to appreciate humor when choosing a mate, men were more likely to report increased relationship satisfaction based on humor than women were.

“The real kicker is something that’s called a partner effect, which happens when one person’s humor is associated with their partner’s contentment. In this case, the association between one partner’s tendency to joke and their partner’s satisfaction was moderated by sex, but in an unexpected direction,” Hall said. “The wives of men who report producing a lot of humor were a little bit satisfied. But the husbands of women who report producing humor were significantly more satisfied. That means that in the courtship stage, women are overvaluing men’s comedic skill while men are undervaluing women’s, when it comes to projecting what’s likely to happen in a long-term relationship.”

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Source:

In the long run, funny women satisfy men more. University of Kansas. https://news.ku.edu/2019/05/24/long-run-funny-women-satisfy-men-more