**While of course there are other extremely important qualities (and different ones, certainly, are needed at different times), I can get behind the case that humor can sometimes be seen as rising above all else in a partner.** - I do often feel that in the worst of times, humor can be the only savior. It can change people's perspectives on themselves and the world, and if not, it can at least help ease pain that may otherwise be too thick or even unbearable. - Kindness and a sense of excitement are two other qualities that come nearly exactly close to humor in a partner for me, personally, but an interesting thing to think about is the comparison of them: - It's possible that being kind all the time is harder than having a sense of humor all the time. Problems will always arise that, especially between people who are close, make it difficult to stay fully settled into a deep sense of kindness. If that's the case, the quality of humor might be "better" than kindness, if the two are going to be split up as such. For instance, if someone is mean for a second, but then is able to have a (shared) sense of humor about it, then the humor has done something spectacular that a fallible possibility of kindness couldn't do. - Ultimately I think I would tend to say that kindness is actually really what I view as the most important quality in a partner. But if we are working with limits that acknowledge that it might be harder to be kind all the time than to have a sense of humor all the time, I could get behind the case that humor is the most important quality in a partner.

**humour is great and very important, but far from everything in a partner.** - it is important for the sake of developing chemistry and comfort around someone. it helps to gel with each other and continue to enjoy each other throughout the time you spend together. it is considered a very attractive trait for a reason. no one should be expected to be a comedian automatically, it's about [finding what’s funny in the everyday and enjoying it together](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.brit.co/amp/humor-in-a-relationship-2639445384) - it is arguably not the most important trait, since in a relationship other essential things like trust and respect matter more and build the foundation for humour to make the relationship fun as well as fulfilling. these provide the foundation for a healthy relationship with anyone while humour is what makes it enjoyable. - however, [humour and intelligence](https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/10/funny-people-are-also-more-intelligent-according-to-new-research/) can be related meaning it may even tie into other important traits. humour indicates wittiness and quick thinking that can translate into other areas of life. - not all life partners are romantic. humour is great, but for a deeper connection there needs to be more. some relationships can be purely for fun, but for a more sincere connection you should also be able to have more serious conversations about feelings without sarcasm or jokes.

**I think that having a shared sense of humour is probably the most important quality that can be immediately observed in a partner.** - There are [so many benefits to having a good sense of humour] (https://bigthink.com/personal-growth/humor-life-skill?rebelltitem=4#rebelltitem4). It's widely believed that it improves our quality of life. So it seems natural that it would be a highly rated part of our relationships. [There's an obviousness] (https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/humor-sapiens/201110/why-jokes-are-seductive) to our wanting to be happy and able to laugh with someone. - I do think that other qualities are more important in a partner further down the road - like similar values and goals, trust, patience, and kindness. But I don't think that these are so immediately obvious as being on the same level in terms of humour. - So it's more of an important factor - potentially the most important - upon initial meeting (although I'd argue that physical attraction is also up there). [This study] (https://news.ku.edu/2015/08/27/first-comes-laughter-then-love-study-finds-out-why-humor-important-romantic-attraction) found that "when 2 strangers meet, the more times a man tries to be funny and the more a woman laughs at those attempts, the more likely it is for the woman to be interested in dating. However, an even better indicator of romantic attraction is if the two are spotted laughing together." Being on the same page in terms of what you find funny is something that is very quickly apparent. - Also - the stats don't lie. [This study says that] (https://www.jstor.org/stable/348256?origin=crossref&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents) 90% of men and 81% of women said that a sense of humour is the most important quality in a partner. (Although, as I have argued, I believe this to be in more of a short term sense).

**There are _so_ many factors involved in choosing a partner.** This depends entirely on the individual. Patrick Wanis, behaviour expert PhD, cites these [7 main factors of attraction](https://www.patrickwanis.com/7-factors-attraction/): - Chemistry and physical attraction - Proximity and bonding - Similarity - Complementarity and personalities create harmony - Reflection of attachment style - Subconscious self-modelling - Similar core values Funnily enough, none of these specifically mention humour. This goes to show that there are many other qualities that could be seen as the ‘most important quality in a partner’.