Men Win Humor Test (by a Hair)
ScienceDaily (Oct. 19, 2011) — Men are funnier than women, but only just barely and mostly to other men. So says a psychology study from the University of California, San Diego Division of Social Sciences.
While the findings lend some support to the stereotype on gender differences and humor -- perhaps most vociferously and provocatively argued in recent memory by author Christopher Hitchens in his 2007 Vanity Fair article "Why Women Aren't Funny" -- they also undermine the standard explanations as to why. The standard explanations are usually variations on an evolutionary sexual-selection argument that likens a man's humor to a peacock's fancy tail or a deer's rack of antlers, useful primarily for showing off and impressing potential mates.
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1019173314.htm