Should You Open With a Joke?
Friday, June 28th, 2013
When you’re looking to send a message to someone on a dating site, you might be thinking of creative ways to break the ice and might even be tempted to add a joke, but is it a good idea?
In our recent poll, we asked members whether they like to see a joke in an opening message, and the results couldn’t be more even with 50% saying yes and 50% saying no. So according to the poll, jokes are the Marmite of the dating world.
Views at Muddy Matches HQ were pretty split too, with comments ranging from “it’s so cheesy, I’d hate it” to “of course you should send a joke, it’s a sad world if you can’t add a bit of humour in your messages”.
Things to consider before sending a joke in a message
Would you tell a joke to someone you’ve just met? – If you would, then go for it, but if it feels awkward or cheesy don’t do it just because you think the other person might enjoy one-liners.
Could the joke offend someone? – Have you ever wondered why Christmas cracker jokes are so awful? Well, it’s because they’re completely non-offensive (apart from being painfully bad). You don’t want to pull a cracker around the dinner table only to discover a sexist, racist or any other odious joke inside. The same theory goes for dating messages, if you think it could be seen as offensive, don’t say it!
Has your message got substance? – If you choose to tell a joke to show your sense of humour, make sure that the joke is accompanied by something about why you decided to get in touch with the other member.
What’s your favourite cheesy joke? Let us know on the Facebook page.
