X Finds Y Funny. Why Doesn’t Y Find X Funny?
By: Laurelyn Burton
No, it’s not an algebra problem, although it already sounds more interesting than anything that was pushed on me in high school math class. This conundrum is about X chromosomes (female) and Y (male) chromosomes, and how they relate to each other concerning humor. Most of us have seen the difference in how audiences react when X standup comics go on stage vs Y standup comics go on stage. The Ys usually have those great big, toothy grins that seem to make anything they say come across as funny simply because of a face that’s saying it is funny. The Xs, on the other hand, no matter how toothy their grins are, have to rely on their creativity and personality to cause the audience to bust a gut laughing. Maybe the audience could use some Relationship Advice, Relationship Counseling, or Relationship Therapy.
From a very early age, most children in the U.S. are taught etiquette rules and rules of appropriateness (concerning how to treat the other gender). As we get older, boys and girls learn on their own how to flirt with each other. The boys learn that muscles, a car, and laughter win girls hearts and draw girls to them. Girls figure out that makeup, and… well, just being a girl will bring boys to them (boys aren’t too picky).
Still, there are unspoken etiquette rules and rules of appropriateness. Girls love to be around a guy that will make them laugh. Even the ugliest guy on the planet can get a beauty queen if he can make her giggle and snort with laughter. Guys, though, become perplexed when a girl attempts to be humorous. That’s not to say a girl can’t make her guy belly roar until tears come, but he will probably give her a sideways glance if she begins to “nyuck-nyuck-nyuck” and try to poke him in the eyes.
Xs are emotional beings, and Ys… not so much. There’s a famous show on TV about zombies that we had to stop watching because it was affecting my husband too much. The show didn’t seem to bother me at all. After doing some research into this, I discovered that I, being an X, am like an emotional autobahn. Xs feed on emotions and experience multiple highs and lows per day – even more per month. Ys are more like an emotional neighborhood park trail. They can’t digest emotions like Xs can, and so they’re often mislabeled “emotionless”. When we were watching the zombie show, the “emotions” from that show were staying with him and bothering him, poor fellow. Back to my point – since Ys can’t digest emotion quickly, they don’t want someone else to be the comedian. It throws them off.
In my experience, most Ys are funny in their own way, and they will laugh “with” the Xs when the Xs are being flirty and cute. Ys just simply aren’t looking for other Y-brained companions to spend time with… that is, except other Y’s. So, if you’re an X, and you’re considering Relationship Advice, Relationship Counseling, or Relationship Therapy simply because your Y won’t laugh at you, may I consider simply flirting with him instead. Be yourself. He wasn’t attracted to you to because you were funny, but he was attracted to you and still is.