Women love to laugh at men, and men love to make women laugh. If you’ve ever watched this or been a part of it, you know it’s true, at least in general. Women laugh more than men, because men are always trying to make them laugh! I often hear my daughter on the phone with her latest, giggling up a storm. She loves the guys that keep her laughing, and she is not alone.
In a non-professional poll on girlsaskguys.com, all the women respondents, when asked, “How important to you is laughter in attraction?” responded that it is very important. The ability to evoke laughter in a mate often covers a multitude of sins, so laughter in a relationship definitely falls under the “very important” heading.
There are several other reasons a woman may laugh more than men do. One study found that “social situations increase laughter”. Since females are (in general) more social than their male counterparts, it makes sense that they would have more opportunity to laugh. Females often gather together with their friends and share many things, including laughter.
The study also suggests that “most laughter is in the context of conversation”. Again, who is the more likely to be engaged in conversation? The woman, of course. This is a generality and depends on the personality, but women seem to enjoy conversation more than men do, therefore they will have more opportunity to laugh.
Another finding of the study is that “speakers laugh more than the listeners do “. In general, women talk way more than men do, again giving them more opportunity for laughter. Women, often more relational than men as well, find conversation a way to relate to others. They have a need to find out what makes the other tick and what they can do to help. Engaged in this form of relationship building, they will have many opportunities to laugh with, and at, those they build relationships with.
Other studies done conclude that women also laugh more because they expect less than men do in the realm of funniness. Then when they do see something funny, they receive more pleasure from it. If a young girl’s constant giggling at the provocation of her funny man is any indication, then I would say this is true. Many men will do anything to make a woman laugh, even if it’s not really funny to outsiders. And, for some unknown reason, the females continue to laugh away at the antics of these self-professed funny men.
Maybe we laugh at our male counterparts antics because it’s a lot better than crying, or maybe it’s that men often try to charm their way out of trouble by making, first mom and then others,laugh when they should be mad. This phenomenon may also explain why women tend to live longer than men as well: laughter is healthy for you. So, men, keep the ladies laughing, and we’ll laugh all the way to old age.
Resources:
http://www.sideroad.com/health/column9.html
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=14367 (expect less study)
