A new study by Northumbria University has found that men really can laugh women into bed as females perceive funny males are smarter and more likely to be honest than more dour counterparts.

According to the researchers, though humour is not linked to intelligence, the findings could be the reason why so many lonely heart ads placed by women list good sense of humour as a prerequisite for a partner.

In fact, women have evolved to find intelligence an attractive quality because it suggests that a man will be a good provider for her as well as her children, the researchers have said.

"A quick browse of lonely-hearts ads will confirm that women look for a good sense of humour in a potential partner our research may explain why this is the case.

"The findings provide evidence that women use humour as an indication of a guy's intelligence. Intelligence is a very attractive quality as a clever man should be more able to provide resources for his offspring.

"But guys be warned – not just any gag will do. We discovered that the humour must be genuinely funny for the man to be judged as more intelligent," lead researcher Kristofor McCarty was quoted by 'The Daily Telegraph' as saying.

To rate the attractiveness of a sense of humour in the study, 45 heterosexual women were asked to read shorts descriptions of themselves compiled by 20 men, 10 of which were scored as extremely funny and 10 as only slightly funny.

The women were than asked how intelligent and honest they thought that the men were and how likely they would be to go on to develop a friendship or a long-term relationship with them.

The findings have shown that men who used the funniest descriptions of themselves were thought to be significantly more intelligent than those who weren't as witty. The women in the study also judged the men who had a good sense of humour as more honest and said they'd be more likely to be friends.