Humour Trumps Good Looks in Philippines

Ugly people with a sense of humor appear to trump their good-looking but dull peers in the Philippines' dating game, according to a pre-Valentine's Day poll published Thursday.

Given a choice, nine in 10 adult Filipinos told survey group Social Weather Stations they would pick "a man/woman who has a sense of humour". Ten percent preferred "a man/woman who is good-looking but has no sense of humor."

"It's more interesting to be with someone who has a good personality because good looks will fade over time," said Josefina Natividad, director for the University of the Philippines Population Institute.

While the Philippines has produced many winners in international beauty pageants, Natividad said physical beauty was not that important in Filipino culture.

"As a culture we're not that obsessed with beauty, but we are bombarded with advertising trying to convince us that good looks matter," she told Agence France Presse.

The Manila-based pollster said 94 percent of women chose sense of humor over looks, even if that person was physically unattractive. This compared to 86 percent of men who prefer humor over looks.

Social Weather Stations polled 1,550 adults across the largely Roman Catholic nation between December 11 and 16.