It has long been said that a man with a good sense of humour can laugh a woman in to bed, despite his looks.

Now researchers believe the opposite may also be true - that we also find attractive members of the opposite sex more amusing.

Psychologists at the University of Stirling have discovered that good-looking people were perceived as funnier when the people listening to them could see what they looked like - i.e. whether they were attractive or not.

In the study, undergraduate psychology students were videoed while being asked which two items they would take to a desert island, and why. They could pick from either chocolate, hairspray or a plastic bag.

While the students weren't told that the study was about humour, the vast majority gave the appearance of trying to be funny in their answers.

Other students were then asked to rate the desert-island comments for wit, as well as how attractive each of the commenters might be for a short-term or long-term relationship.

The researchers found that attractive individuals were rated as funnier in video clips than their less dashing counterparts.

Funnier men were also considered most attractive for a fling, the researchers found.

This might be because wit may give off the impression of not being serious or willing to commit to a long-term relationship.

Being recorded on video also made a real difference. Men who were videoed were generally considered more amusing than those who only had their voices recorded and provided a photo of themselves.

One theory is that men, in particular, use humour as a mating signal, to show-off their intelligence and good genes to women.

Another is that we use wit to indicate we are sexually attracted to people.

The study was published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

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