Self‐directed sexist humor was seen as more affiliative (only women), less aggressive, & more self‐defeating than other‐directed sexist humor; women romantically preferred men who used self‐ rather than other‐directed sexist humor

Is it sexy to be sexist? How stereotyped humor affects romantic attraction. Diana E. Betz  Theresa E. DiDonato. Personal Relationships, November 9 2020. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12346

Abstract: Sexist humor is a common form of disparagement humor that is nonetheless understudied in romantic attraction contexts. Three experiments investigated how sexist humor is perceived and received during relationship initiation. In Study 1 (n = 262) participants rated self‐directed sexist humor as more affiliative (only women), less aggressive, and more self‐defeating than other‐directed sexist humor. Study 2 (n = 209) replicated these findings and found that women romantically preferred men who used self‐ rather than other‐directed sexist humor, an effect mediated by perceived warmth. Self‐directed sexist humor's attractiveness advantage persisted in Study 3 (n = 667), which also included manipulations of self‐disparaging, group‐disparaging, and benign humor. Results suggest a romantic cost for men telling sexist jokes that disparage women.