Are you a playful person? Do you not take life too seriously? While playfulness has always been recognised as an important trait in children, a new study has shown that when it comes to picking partners, this is an important trait too. So sit back, chill out and get playing…
A new study at the University of Zurich revealed that alongside a good sense of humour, intelligence and friendliness, playfulness is also very important when it comes to picking a match regardless of your gender. Serious types look away now…because playful people are thought to be more fun, laid back and creative than their non-playful counterparts.
Interestingly, playfulness was also ranked higher than having good genes, a degree or being religious when it comes to looking for dates and that special somebody! The study found that playful daters enjoy wordplay, teasing and improvisation.
The study saw 327 young adults examine a list of 16 characteristics and indicate whether or not they found them desirable in a future or potential partner for long-term relationships. The results showed that men and women largely agreed in their orders of preference – although there were differences in individual ratings: Women found a sense of humour more important than men and men found an exciting personality more important than women.
“We should not only think of non-serious people who are laid-back but also think about those that are curious, like to explore new things, that enjoy playful interactions with others,” René Proyer of the University of Zurich and co-author of the study explained.
She added that playfulness “allows people to frame or reframe everyday situations in a way such that they experience them as entertaining, or intellectually stimulating or personally interesting.”
That is why, when we send message to potential suitors only, they tend to elicit the best responses when they are playful and unexpectedly humorous, so next time you are conjuring up an eye-catching message to someone who has caught your eye, do bear this in mind.
This news is exactly what we want to hear: Dating can sometimes feel complicated and tiring but approach it in a more fun and laid back way and you might be surprised at the results!
Are you Mr or Mrs Serious or are you a playful dater? Tell us @lovestruck
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