Men really can laugh women into bed, because a sense of humour makes them seem more intelligent, psychologists have found.
A new study shows that women think that funny men are smarter and more likely to be honest than more dour counterparts.
Although studies have shown that humour is not linked to intelligence, researchers believe that the findings could be the reason why so many lonely heart ads placed by women list GSOH (good sense of humour) as a prerequisite for a partner.
Kristofor McCarty, from Northumbria University, who led the study, said: "A quick browse of lonely-hearts ads will confirm that women look for a good sense of humour in a potential partner – our research may explain why this is the case.
"The findings provide evidence that women use humour as an indication of a guy's intelligence.
"Intelligence is a very attractive quality as a clever man should be more able to provide resources for his offspring.
"But guys be warned: not just any gag will do. We discovered that the humour must be genuinely funny for the man to be judged as more intelligent."
James Corden, the comedy star of BBC hit Gavin and Stacey, has said that being funny helped him to attract women from his teenage years onwards.
“My weight was never a concern for me. I could always talk to them and make them laugh, so they tended to overlook my physical imperfections,” said Corden, who is currently dating actress Sheridan Smith.
To rate the attractiveness of a sense of humour in the study, 45 heterosexual women were asked to read shorts descriptions of themselves compiled by 20 men, 10 of which were scored ss extremely funny and 10 as only slightly funny.
The women were than asked how intelligent and honest they thought that the men were and how likely they would be to go on to develop a friendship or a long-term relationship with them.
The findings, to be presented at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference in Brighton on Wednesday, show that men who used the funniest descriptions of themselves were thought to be significantly more intelligent than those who weren't as witty.
The women in the study also judged the men who had a good sense of humour as more honest and said that they would be more likely to become friends with them.
Funnier men were also seen as a better catch for a long-term relationship, according to the findings.
While women appear to prefer a men who makes them laugh, the psychologists say that previous studies have shown that the same does not hold true when the sexes are reversed - and men are not more attracted to funny girls.