Everybody is drawn to a person who has a great sense of humor. If a stranger at the grocery store approaches you with a hilarious pick-up line or an acquaintance slides into your DMs with a clever, funny line, you’re much more likely to engage in conversation than you would be if you were simply given a “Hello.” And we can all benefit from having humor incorporated into our daily lives.

According to HelpGuide, laughter truly is the best medicine. It provides physical health benefits like boosting our immune systems, lowering our stress, decreasing pain, relaxing our muscles and even helping to prevent heart disease. But it also benefits our mental health and social lives, as it can ease anxiety, boost our moods, strengthen relationships and attract others to us. 

If you ask someone what the most important traits are for them in a significant other, kindness will often be their top response. But don’t underestimate the importance of a great sense of humor. In fact, a study from the University of Arkansas found that being funny can make men much more attractive to women. 

Particularly when women were seeking long-term partners, a great sense of humor was seen as more important than being physically attractive. “Given the competence that successful humor use conveys, subsequent studies showed that this preference for actually funny men over unfunny men was most apparent in long-term mating contexts and when the funny man was most attractive,” the study’s author, Dr. Mitch Brown shared. 

Especially when choosing a partner that you’d like to spend the rest of your life with, it’s completely reasonable to choose someone who can find humor in any situation. Marriage inevitably comes with various struggles, especially if the two of you decide to have children, so being able to focus on finding a smile no matter what’s going on can be incredibly helpful. As far as why we find humor to be so attractive, Dr. Madelijn Strick says understanding a joke activates the same “reward area” of our brains that sex, drugs and chocolate do.

At this point, we all know that all genders can be equally hilarious, and it’s likely for people of all genders to seek out partners who make them laugh. But men and women do tend to view humor differently when it comes to dating. We all want funny partners, but for women, this typically means a significant other who can make them laugh. For men, on the other hand, this usually means a partner who laughs at their jokes. But as long as everyone’s laughing, it’s possible to find a match made in heaven! 

If you’re looking for ways to keep the humor alive in your marriage, Power of Positivity recommends finding ways to create funny situations. Whether that means attending comedy shows together, watching funny shows after work or sending each other memes that make you chuckle, it’s always wise to make sure that you don’t go a day without laughing together to keep the spark alive in your relationship. 

Creating inside jokes with your partner can also help the two of you bond through using humor. Remember to bring up funny moments to keep the two of you laughing time and time again. And when it comes to date night, consider options that will include funny components. Perhaps you can go to a thrift store and pick out the silliest outfits you can find for one another to try on. Or maybe you can take a cooking class together that you know you’ll be terrible at. Humor can be incorporated into any situation to make it more fun! 

When you and your partner have been together for a long time, conflicts are inevitable. But instead of turning every little argument into a huge fight, try to approach issues between the two of you with a sense of humor. You might find that those dishes left in the sink weren’t actually such a big deal, and it’s hard to stay angry when you’re laughing. If you and your partner can find a way to incorporate jokes into your conflict management, you’re likely to have a much smoother and happier relationship.

Finally, Power of Positivity urges partners to not be afraid of making a fool out of themselves in their relationships. Doing a silly dance or speaking in a silly voice might feel vulnerable, but if you manage to make your partner laugh, it was worth it. The two of you will build a closer bond and have a stronger relationship if you manage to share laughter every day. So get out those googly eyes and start placing them around the apartment for your partner to find!

Are you getting some ideas for how to play tricks on your own partner, pandas? We hope you’re enjoying scrolling through this list and being reminded how important a sense of humor is in any relationship. Keep upvoting the pics you find particularly funny, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article featuring even more hilarious moments from relationships, look no further than right here!