Women find more things to laugh about than men

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Do women have an inordinate need to please? Or do they have a sharper sense of humor?
Either way, studies have long shown that women tend to smile more in public than men. Now, new research at Rowan University in New Jersey indicates women laugh more as well, according to Allure magazine.
From a sample of more than 10,000 people in communal areas, a psychological team observed about 20 percent of them laughing. They found that women outlaughed men by 20 percent to 24 percent. It's a small difference but psychologist Marc Chapell saw it as consistent with gender stereotypes. Men are expected to be less emotional in public.
It's probably no surprise that the researchers also found that laughter decreased with age. Seventeen percent of the people estimated to be 31 to 60 years old were seen laughing. Thirty-four percent of the subjects who appeared to be 15 and younger were observed finding something funny.
Researchers told Allure that the age difference probably has more to do with mature emotional control than sense of humor.