Is humour an attracting force in a relationship?... Contd

By Super

Humour is a powerful antidote
Humour is a powerful antidote and antiseptic to some of the severest blows and problems one can have to look at in life, believes the man behind many TV shows, Mukesh Mathur. Is humour an attracting force? "Definitely,"agrees Mathur. He continues, "It definitely gives one a sense of fulfillment for responsibility leading one to focus on stress levels, priorities we tend towards." However, he clarifies, humour varies from person to person. He explains, "What I might find humorous, you may not thus you have to strike a fine balance when playing humour into the attraction scenario." There are different types of humour according to Mathur, "If you're working hard and you are young, an ability to make someone laugh is automatically the root of success. Humour at the cost of others at a personal level should have the objective to make the others laugh without any undercurrents. Although at times this can be difficult. We are not always able to laugh at ourselves such as in satire."

The power of humour
Techie Ritesh Pawar believes in the power of humour. Thirty something Pawar, married to Rupali, describes himself as a serious introvert with a lot of attitude. He says, "My wife changed that around. She's outgoing and fun loving and has a good sense of humour." His humour has at times been tested. "We both work different times in the day. When she is arriving home after a long day at the office, I am getting up and getting ready to leave for work. It can be stressful at times and sometimes it's hard to find the humour," admits Pawar.

The couple that laughs together stays together
Jagruti Bhojani, funny man Deven Bhojani's better half also has a similar story to give. "Humour has to be there in a husband wife relationship; it brings them closer. There have been times when I have done something that Deven doesn't like and I have accepted it and we have laughed it off, without ever indulging in a serious argument," she says. Jagruti adds, "Humour also makes marital life smoother and more understanding, especially after you have kids. There are times when he pulls my leg in the presence of friends and I do get a little angry, but soon melt down as I know it's only a light hearted joke." Deven adds, "Humour is a very essential part of any relationship, be it husband-wife, father-son, brother-sister or even friends! In a husband-wife relationship, the couple that laughs together stays together!"

Men were not as influenced by a woman's wit
Eric Bressler of Westfield State College, Massachusetts, and colleague Sigal Balshine of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, asked more than 200 male and female college students to examine photos of members of the opposite sex. Some had funny quotes pinned beneath them, such as: 'My high school was so rough, we had our own coroner.' Others had bland ones: 'I'd rather walk to school than take the bus.' The researchers found that women ranked humorous men as more popular and fun and better potential partners. Men were not as influenced by a woman's wit. Bressler concluded: "Men and women do in fact both value a sense of humour in a mate, but they might be looking for slightly different things, women valuing an ability to be funny and men valuing an ability to see the joke," highlights the major difference in the perspective of the sexes.