An Evolutionary Perspective on Humor: Sexual Selection or Interest Indication?

Abstract

Are people who are funny more attractive? Or does being attractive lead people to be seen as funnier? The answer may depend on the underlying evolutionary function of humor. While humor has been proposed to signal “good genes,” the authors propose that humor also functions to indicate interest in social relationships—in initiating new relationships and in monitoring existing ones. Consistent with this interest indicator model, across three studies both sexes were more likely to initiate humor and to respond more positively and consider the other person to be funny when initially attracted to that person. The findings support that humor dynamics— and not just humor displays—influence romantic chemistry for both men and women, suggesting that humor can ultimately function as a strategy to initiate and monitor social relationships.

The Complexity of Jokes Is Limited by Cognitive Constraints on Mentalizing

“…More recently, however, there has been growing interest in the ultimate functions of laughter and humor. Laughter and humor may play a number of different (not always mutually exclusive) roles in human communication, including expediting courtship, facilitating the flow of an interaction/conversation, synchronizing emotional states, and social bonding (Bachorowski and Owren 2001;Bressler et al 2006;Cowan and Little 2012;Curry and Dunbar 2013;Dunbar et al 2012;Flamson and Barrett 2008;Gervais and Wilson 2005;Grammer 1990;Grammer and Eibl-Eibesfeldt 1990;Hurley et al 2011;Li et al 2009;Mehu and Dunbar 2008;Owren and Bachorowski 2003). However, the underlying cognitive mechanisms that both enable these effects to work and determine the maximum complexity of jokes are much less well understood.…”

Who’s funny: Gender stereotypes, humor production, and memory bias

“…Gender . Source memory It seems a truth-while perhaps not universally acknowledged, at least widely shared-that men are funnier than women (see, e.g., Lewis, 2000). Such a view has been expressed by men and women, and often in conjunction with firm assertions that men's humor advantage, if such it be, is not part of any general intellectual superiority (Greer, 2009;Hitchens, 2007).…”

“…Presuming a reliable gender difference in humor production, various theories have been offered, including suggestions that humor, like the head butting of elk, is done to impress potential mates (Bressler, Martin, & Balshine, 2006). Consistent with such a notion, females indicate a preference for mates who makes them laugh, whereas males prefer a mate who laughs at their humor (Li, Griskevicius, Durante, Jonason, Pasisz & Aumer, 2009). There is also evidence that both genders comply, with women laughing more, and men making people laugh more (Provine, 2000, p.27; but see Kothoff, 2006).…”

Identity in Online Personal Ads: A Multimodal Investigation

“…Studies in gender attraction revealed that sense of humour is a highly desirable characteristic to both sexes (e.g. Sprecher & Regan, 2002) and can be deployed as a strategy for initiating relationship (Li et al 2009); accordingly, a man or a woman with a sense of humour could be said to possess a quality that is sought in the single market.…”