If you're looking for a mate with a good sense of humour, their ability to tell a joke may be less important than you think.
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。
For scientists say that whether we laugh or not depends more on how much we like a person than if they really are funny.
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。
Sophie Scott, a professor of neuroscience at University College London, said: 'You hear women say, I really fancy him, he really makes me laugh.
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。
'What she means is, he's really attractive and I laugh because I fancy him. It's to do with how much they like him.'
“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 in evolution, and remains 'extremely socially important'.
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。
'When you laugh with people you show you agree with them,' she said. 'You are showing you like them – if you didn't you would withhold that laughter.'
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 laugh together, staying together.
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。
The professor’s own research found that laughter, unlike the sweet sigh of contentment or the cheer of triumph, are cross-cultural, with people with remote parts of Africa recognising when a Westerner is amused and vice versa.
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 evolutionary history, it's part of our make-up.'
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。
Laughter, it seems, helps us in all sorts of situations.
笑声似乎能帮助我们融入各种场合。
Professor Scott said: 'It seems to be a socially extremely important emotion.
斯科特教授说：“这似乎是一种极具社会意义的情感。
'It is an emotion you primarily find in social settings - you are 30 times more likely to laugh if you are with somebody else than if you are on your own.
“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.
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。
'If you ask human beings when do you laugh, they talk about jokes and they talk about comedy and humour.
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, which means that in practice that you laugh most during conversations with other people.
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。
'Interestingly, you are still very rarely laughing at jokes.'
“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.
斯科特教授建议我们抽出时间多笑一笑。
She said that while some people go to comedy clubs or even do laughter yoga – the term for a self-help group in which people force themselves to laugh – nothing beats having a good giggle with your friends.
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 you laugh.
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。
'Don't think that is time wasted, it is probably one of the best things you can do with your time.'
“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。
Vocabulary
diffuse：缓解，消除
cross-cultural：跨文化的
interaction：互动
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