摘要：如果你想找一位幽默的伴侣，他们讲笑话的能力或许并没有你想象得那么重要。因为科学家称，我们笑还是不笑更多地取决于我们对这个人的喜欢程度，而不是他是否真的风趣。

Why good looks make you funnier: Research findswomen will laugh at a man's jokes if she thinks he'sattractive.If you're looking for a mate with a goodsense of humour, their ability to tell a joke may beless important than you think.For scientists say thatwhether we laugh or not depends more on howmuch we like a person than if they really are funny.

Sophie Scott, a professor of neuroscience atUniversity College London, said: 'You hear women say, I really fancy him, he really makes melaugh.'What she means is, he's really attractive and I laugh because I fancy him. It's to do withhow much they like him.'

如果你想找一位幽默的伴侣，他们讲笑话的能力或许并没有你想象得那么重要。因为科学家称，我们笑还是不笑更多地取决于我们对这个人的喜欢程度，而不是他是否真的风趣。

英国伦敦大学学院(University College London)的神经科学教授索菲·斯科特(Sophie Scott)表示：“你经常会听到女人们说我真地很喜欢他，他总让我开怀大笑。“其实她真正想说的是：他太有魅力了，我会笑是因为我喜欢他。这其实和她们喜欢那个人的程度有关。”

She told the British Science Festival in Bradford that laughter seems to have its roots deep inevolution, and remains 'extremely socially important'.'When you laugh with people you showyou agree with them,' she said. 'You are showing you like them – if you didn't you wouldwithhold that laughter.'

她在布拉德福德(Bradford)举行的英国科学节(British Science Festival)上说，笑容似乎是起源于进化，并且现在仍然有着“极其重要的社会意义”。她说：“你和别人一起笑证明你认同他们，你在向他们表现你的青睐，否则你将会克制你的笑容。”

Laughter can also diffuse tension in established relationships, with couples who laughtogether, staying together.The professor's own research found that laughter, unlike the sweetsigh of contentment or the cheer of triumph, are cross-cultural, with people with remoteparts of Africa recognising when a Westerner is amused and vice versa.

在已经建立起来的关系中，笑容还可以缓解紧张感，一起欢笑的夫妻感情维系得更好。斯科特教授的个人研究发现，笑容不同于满足的甜蜜叹息和胜利的欢呼。笑容是跨文化的，来自非洲偏远地区的人们能够辨认出西方人是否感到开心，反之亦然。

She said: 'It's looking like laughter might be an emotion that is part of our evolutionaryhistory, it's part of our make-up.'Laughter, it seems, helps us in all sorts of situations.

她说：“笑这种情感看来像是我们进化历史的一部分，也是我们性格的一部分”。笑声似乎能帮助我们融入各种场合。'

It is an emotion you primarily find in social settings - you are 30 times more likely to laugh ifyou are with somebody else than if you are on your own.Professor Scott said: 'It seems to be asocially extremely important emotion.

斯科特教授说：“这似乎是一种极具社会意义的情感。”“在各种社交场合，笑这种情绪是最容易发现的——和别人在一起时你笑的可能性比你一个人待着时高30倍”。

‘And you will laugh more if you know them and you will laugh more if you like them.'If you askhuman beings when do you laugh, they talk about jokes and they talk about comedy andhumour.

如果你认识他们，你笑的次数会更多，如果你喜欢他们，你笑的次数也会更多。如果你问别人他们什么时候会笑，他们会谈笑话、喜剧和幽默。

'If you look at when they laugh, it's in the interactions that you find the most laughter, whichmeans that in practice that you laugh most during conversations with otherpeople.'Interestingly, you are still very rarely laughing at jokes.'

如果你们观察他们笑的时机，你会发现人们在互动的时候笑得最多，也就是说实际上在与他人进行对话的时候人们最可能笑。“有趣的是，你其实很少因为笑话而笑。”

The professor advises us all to make time to laugh.She said that while some people go tocomedy clubs or even do laughter yoga – the term for a self-help group in which people forcethemselves to laugh – nothing beats having a good giggle with your friends.

斯科特教授建议我们抽出时间多笑一笑。她说，有些人会去看喜剧或是做大笑瑜伽(指人们强迫自己欢笑的自助团体)，但没有什么比得上跟朋友一起大笑一场。

Professor Scott said: 'At its heart, the natural place where you find laughter is in interactions,so I would say give yourself as many opportunities to laugh with the people who make youlaugh.'Don't think that is time wasted, it is probably one of the best things you can do withyour time.'

斯科特教授说：“从本质上说，互动中自然而然会产生笑声，所以我觉得你应该尽可能抓住机会，跟能令你开怀的人一起欢笑。”“别觉得这是在浪费时间，这或许是你能利用时间做的最棒的事情之一。”