Not all men are as lucky as I am.

My wife doesn't have to fake it. Ever!

Oh, goodness. I'm not talking about the bedroom. I'm talking about my jokes.

There's a story in today's Eye Street by Heather Ijames about what she calls the transformation from the "girlfriend giggle" — where you laugh at the guy 's jokes not necessarily because they are funny, but you think he's hot and you know he likes you to laugh at his jokes — to the "obligatory laugh" in which you laugh at his jokes so other people don't think he's mentally impaired.

One of the things that is most endearing about my wife — we are a few days shy of being wed a year — is that she laughs at my jokes. This is because, I'm presuming, they are funny.

Just before I met my sweetheart and I was dating, I worked for about 8 months to go out with a woman. Finally she said yes. Ten minutes into the date, I knew there would not be a second date. She didn't laugh at any of my best jokes — you know, the ones you bring out on the first date to show a gal a good time.

But my beloved wife and I laugh at each other's jokes all the time. She makes me laugh out loud a lot.

We deny that either one of us has a mental impairment.

Are you or your partner funny? Do you ever have to fake it?

Posted by Steve E. Swenson