Surprise! Study Says Women Prefer Funny Men

We've all heard the saying: Nice guys finish last. But new research from the Stanford School of Medicine suggests otherwise. In fact, women prefer goofballs.

As reported by the University Herald, researchers performed brain scans of 22 girls and boys aged six to 13 while they watched "humorous" video clips, including "people falling over and animals performing tricks". They also screened "positive" clips (dancers and snowboarders) as well as neutral clips (nature videos and children riding bikes). Researchers also asked children to rate the videos according to their level of enjoyment and humor. Their findings? During positive clips, boys' brains demonstrated stronger responses. During funny clips, girls' brains showed heightened activity than the boys' in certain brain areas, including the mid-brain and amygdala (the reward-related regions). This indicates that girls experienced stronger delight and positive feelings. The results support the notion that women prefer dating men who can make them laugh and are predisposed to find them attractive.

But why the sex differences in humor appreciation? As researchers explained in the journal Social Neuroscience: “humor processing might be more effective in females than males because the female brain, and particularly the reward circuit, is biologically better prepared to respond accordingly.”

In short, women have evolved to appreciate humor. Good news for the Seth Rogans of the world.