The Secret Ingredient for a Really Spicy Date: Humor

Humor equals wisdom?

Many people say that having matching sense of humor isn’t vital for a successful relationship, although it definitely makes things easier. But bear in mind that humor has many flavors to choose from: physical, self-deprecating, surreal, improvisational, topical, observational, dark, bodily and wit-word play. Also, philosophers, such as the French Comte-Sponville, speculated that being able to make good jokes is a true virtue. Indeed, there is some undeniable wisdom behind the funny clips of Groucho Marx, Louis CK or Woody Allen. Jokes can ease a conflict and lighten the mood. If you are able to make your previously cold partner smile, then it’s a proof that you’ll keep your relationship under control.

The science of jokes

When asked personally, singles rate humor among the top 3 most important character traits they seek in their partner. But as Grant Langston, CEO of eHarmony pointed out, very few people are able to define it, and why something can be considered funny. Because humor is generally considered to be subjective, even the best matchmaking engines don’t take it into account when determining recommended dates for daters. However, eHarmony started taking steps against it; they inspected speed dating events, where they payed close attention to the attendant’s affiliation to certain joke types.They not only confirmed that sharing the same sense of humor formed a quick bond between two people, but they found out that certain joke types work better when the other gender makes them. For example, when women scored high on physical humor, the chance of a second date increased, but when the man is a fan of low-brow humor, it did the exact opposite and reduced the chance of meeting again.