'Dad jokes' are GOOD for you! Parents who use humor have better relationships with their children, study finds
As much as they make you cringe, try not to roll your eyes at your old man's 'Dad jokes'.
Experts say they might actually be an example of good parenting.
In a new study, researchers from Penn State University found that parents who use humor have better relationships with their children.
'Humor can teach people cognitive flexibility, relieve stress, and promote creative problem solving and resilience,' said Professor Benjamin Levi, senior author of the study.
As much as they make you cringe, try not to roll your eyes at your old man's 'Dad jokes'. Experts say they might actually be an example of good parenting (stock image)
Previous studies have analysed the impact of humor across various settings, including in the office and on dates.
However, until now, there's been little research into the effects of humor in parenting.
'There's an interesting parallel between business and parenting, which are both hierarchical,' said Lucy Emery, first author of the study.
'In business, humor has been shown to help reduce hierarchies, create better environments for collaboration and creativity and diffuse tensios.
'While parent-child relationships are more loving than business relationships, stressful situations happen a lot when parenting.
'Humor can help diffuse that tension and hierarchy and help both parties feel better about a stressful situation.'
In the study, the team surveyed 312 people between the ages of 18 and 45 about their experience of humor in parenting.
The researchers discovered a link between a parent's use of humor and the way their children (who are now adults) viewed the way they were raised (stock image)
More than half said they were raised by people who used humor, while the vast majority (71.8 per cent) agreed that humor can be an effective parenting tool.
The researchers also discovered a link between a parent's use of humor and the way their children (who are now adults) viewed the way they were raised.
Of those who said that their parents used humor, 50.5 per cent said they had a good relationship with their parents, while 44.2 per cent reported they felt their parents did a good job raising them.
In contrast, of those who said their parents didn't use humor, only 2.9 per cent reported a good relationship with their parents, while just 3.6 per cent reported that they thought their parents did a good job parenting them.
The team hopes the findings will spark larger scale studies on the benefits of using humor when raising children.
Proefssor Levi added: 'My hope is that people can learn to use humor as an effective parenting tool, not only to diffuse tension but develop resilience and cognitive and emotional flexibility in themselves and model it for their children.'
