Opinion: Must have a GSOH
Bill Bailey
Most women, when asked what the most attractive quality in a man is, will answer “a good sense of humour”. Girls want funny boys. Men too, after the obvious qualities such as “good breasts” and “sandwich making skills”, will say that a girl who can make them laugh is a definite plus. Because being funny is an attractive quality in both sexes and is consistently the number one thing that people write in dating ads as a requirement. So when asked if I would date a man who looked like the elephant man but had a great sense of humour or a gorgeous man who was about as funny as fiscal policy, why did I hesitate?
I know it makes me seem shallow but it got me thinking; would a person really choose funny over gorgeous? The majority would say they would. But if both men were standing in front of you, the decision is a whole lot harder to make. It depends if you are thinking long term or short term. Either way, I can safely say that on reflection, I would choose the elephant man. A date with an incredibly unfunny person would be my idea of a living nightmare. A man who couldn’t laugh at my jokes is a man I don’t want to have any sort of conversation with. At least the elephant man and I could have a lasting, amusing chat… once I’d gotten over his slurping and heavy breathing.
In fact, really thinking about it, the majority of people we consider to be funny aren’t empirically, physically attractive. According to the Sun newspaper, the title of highest paid comedian in the UK last year was divided between Peter Kay, Ricky Gervais and Rowan Atkinson. Not one of them a Brad Pitt. From the Shrek-like Dara Ó Briain to the living troll doll that is Bill Bailey, a lot of male and female comedians are not blessed with the looks of an Adonis. Sure there are exceptions; Andi Osho and Jack Whitehall for example. But they are few and far between.
Take the comedy actor and regular panel show guest David Mitchell, even with his Hitler haircut and Frog eyes, he was voted fifth in Heat’s Weird Crush List 2010. Why? Because “in the panel show of our hearts. Dave is always team captain.” More than a third of the twenty five crushes were either comedians, comedy actors or involved in comedy shows. I myself will admit to having a HUGE thing for Mitchell despite the fact that my mother, who never watches any of his comedy shows, says his face gives her “the creeps”. Why does a funny bone make someone that bit more attractive? Our natural instincts are meant to tell us to choose a partner who can build a fire, hunt for food and fight off bears, not who can fill in the blanks with amusing anecdotes.
The really interesting thing about most comedians is that they are often in very stable relationships. Peter Kay has been with his wife for more than ten years and Ricky Gervais and Rowan Atkinson have been with their partners for more than twenty. Proof maybe that not only are funny men more attractive but perhaps more steadfast as well. The truth is that looks fade but funny doesn’t. Conversation and the same sense of humour last and therefore so does the relationship. Ultimately, you’ll always want to spend time with the person who can make you laugh. They are the ones who make us happy. They are the ones who cheer us up when we’re down.
So on that note, and because deep down I’m not shallow, I would choose the Elephant man. I’d rather be laughing with my date than just looking at him. And because, as his name suggests, he’d probably have a massive cock.
