Many people deploy a strategy and show off one’s playful side in a bid to make themselves more appealing to potential mates, the Telegraph reported.

A team of US researchers surveyed 250 undergraduate students and found that both sexes list “sense of humour”, “fun loving” and “playful” among the most important characteristics they look for in a potential long-term partner.

The researchers said this could explain why humans continue to play throughout their lives, while most other animals stop doing so when they reach adulthood.

”Just as birds display bright plumage or colouration, men may attract women by showing off expensive cars or clothing. In the same vein, playfulness in a male may signal to females that he is non-aggressive and less likely to harm them or their offspring,” said lead author Garry Chick, professor and head of the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management at Penn State University.

”A woman’s playfulness, on the other hand, may signal her youth and fertility,” he said.

The study asked participants about 13 characteristics which people may find desirable in a long-term partner.

Sense of humour, fun loving and playful were ranked second, third and fourth as traits that women look for after “kindness and understanding”.

Men ranked sense of humour as the highest priority, while putting physical attractiveness only ninth, according to the study in the American Journal of Play.