Why Women Love Goofy Guys, According To Dating App Data
In Hollywood, it seems there's a trend of the funny goofball guy getting the gorgeous bombshell lady. How else might we explain the much-hyped romance between Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande, Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian, or Pete Davidson and Emily Ratajkowski? We're sensing a trend here. Of course, Davidson isn't the only goofy guy to have a beautiful lady by his side. As art often imitates life, we see in movies all the time how the funny goofball gets the gal, like Austin Powers and Vanessa Kensington or Roger and Jessica Rabbit.
So it stands to reason why many may believe that women tend to prefer the goofy guys, but is this backed up by cold hard data? As it turns out, a dating app decided to investigate that very question in an effort to help its users find their perfect match. Analyzing the data of their users, they released their findings, and it turns out goofiness might be the key to a healthy, long-lasting relationship.
Several dating apps cite goofiness as a key to successful dating
The dating platform, OkCupid, wanted to analyze the data of their 95,000 users to see which percentage of them valued goofiness, silliness, and that all-hallowed sense of humor. According to their global director of brand marketing and communications, Michael Kaye, the percentage was staggeringly high. Like 92% high. "Goofiness is really sexy these days," Kaye told Well+Good, adding that those who enjoy doing silly things and made it clear on their profile received 34% more likes and 16% more messages in their inbox than those who didn't include it in their profile.
However, OkCupid isn't the only dating platform to notice this trend. Hinge's director of relationship science Logan Ury also told the outlet, "Daters are looking for someone who isn't afraid to show their goofy side and make them laugh." Plus, former sociologist for dating apps Tinder and Bumble, Jess Carbino, added, "I think goofiness is synonymous with an ability to be self-deprecating or self-effacing, to be aware of and comfortable with your own quirks or idiosyncrasies."
So is the data from the dating apps backed up by science? You bet your funny bone it is.
Goofiness might be the key to a long-lasting love
Many surveys suggest goofy men are more likely to attract women, but does science have an explanation for that? Biological anthropologist and author Helen Fisher says that laughter isn't just the best medicine, it's also an indicator of a robust love built to last. "People who have a good sense of humor may be likely to lighten up very bad situations and therefore reduce the stress response and simply enable you to get over the hump in bad parts of the relationship," Fisher told CNN. In fact, a 2015 study via Evolutionary Psychology adds that being able to make each other laugh can make your relationship stronger with a higher chance of success.
Relationship experts agree. "When you can laugh at the same things as someone, it means there is an intellectual common ground from which things like irony or absurdity can push against," sex and intimacy coach Zoe Kors told Healthline.
Of course, the data doesn't include people on the sexuality spectrum, such as the LGBTQ+ community, and those who are asexual but still seek out partnerships. In that case, Scientific American experts suggest something that we already know: people, regardless of orientation, gravitate to goofballs. So while the data needs to catch up, this is your signal, despite who you want to attract, to brush up on your jokes.