There is a stereotype that men are funnier than women. New research (n=5,057) found that, on average, men appear to have higher humor production ability than women. Humor may play a role in mating, with an evolutionary basis. It is correlated with intelligence, which may explain why women value it.

Which is exactly why intelligence social intelligence seems to play a role in "mating preferences." Before the advent of industrialized, logic-based, non-tribal society one of the best indicators for intelligence would have been how well you respond to social situations and handle your peers. This ties in with another article posted recently in r/science here that suggested "psychopaths" have some inherent mating advantage as well. Humanity has one foot in the uncivilized past and one foot in the civilized future. We are far from a global consensus on what kind of species we want to be.

/r/science Thread Parent Link - psychologytoday.com