How important is a sense of humour when dating?

This all depends on what you define as a sense of humour. What it really means is simply being able to have a laugh and a joke, even when it’s at your own expense.

It doesn’t always mean you have to be the funniest person at a party.

Marilyn Monroe once said: “If you can make a girl laugh you can make her do anything”.

Now, we’re not saying a sense of humour is quite that powerful but a little laugh and a joke can certainly put you and your date at ease.

If you’re one of the many singletons with membership to an online dating website such as www.mysinglefriend.com/ and you’re looking to impress potential partners, there are a number of reasons why a sense of humour can be important.

Breaking the ice

Let’s say you’re on a first date and meeting someone properly for the first time.

You’ll probably both arrive feeling nervous. The sooner you can relax a little around one another, the sooner you can start to enjoy yourself.

This is where a sense of humour is important. It’s not necessary to crack jokes because there’s nothing else to say but it is important that you can laugh with one another.

It might be at the dishes on the menu in a restaurant, about a film you’ve recently seen, or just something about the day you’ve had. Or the state of mock terror you feel about this first date!

The difference between men and women

Women tend to look for a man with a sense of humour who will make them laugh whereas men look for women who will laugh at their jokes.

Women are very good at judging a man’s intelligence by his sense of humour (sorry, guys). It’s important to be made to laugh but how is very important too. All women have different tastes in humour. Some might laugh at toilet humour but most really, really won’t.

Chemistry

The reason we all want to be made to laugh, or at least laugh at our own jokes, is because laughing releases endorphins – the same endorphins that also get released when we exercise, and during sex.

It’s no wonder we want to laugh; it makes us feel good.

Don’t go overboard

If your date says in his or her profile that a sense of humour is important, that’s not an excuse to reel off all the jokes you can think of. There are limits to humour and it should be used naturally.

Most of the dating advice you will find will tell you to be yourself and the same goes when it comes to humour on a date. Don’t force jokes into conversation and certainly don’t make a joke out of everything your date is saying.

Listen and let them take the lead

If you’re worrying about your own sense of humour, it is possible to let your date take the lead.

Laugh at their jokes, join in where possible and listen to any funny story your date wants to tell. A sense of humour can simply be about enjoying someone else’s.

Yes, a sense of humour is important, especially when it comes to breaking the ice but ultimately, if you click with someone and can hold a conversation, it doesn’t matter so much.