A study by humor researcher Marc Hye-Knudsen published in the British Psychological Society journal argues that dad jokes help kids become resilient when faced with embarrassment.
This immunity towards judgement and embarrassment helps children to feel empowered and be themselves.
Word puzzle website Unscramblerer.com found that searches for ‘Dad jokes study’ on Google trends grew 5750% in a short seven day period.
It seems that dads across the country finally feel liberated in their pedagogic approach to raising children with puns. Dad jokes are usually wholesome short jokes consisting of an obvious pun or word play.
The humorous intent and sometimes provocation derives from the overly simplistic humor.
Many dad jokes may be considered anti-jokes. An example of maybe one of the most common dad jokes is a child telling their father, ‘‘I’m hungry,’’ to which the father will reply ‘‘Hi, Hungry, I’m Dad.’’
‘‘Children who are approaching or have begun adolescence appear particularly prone to embarrassment, especially in relation to their parents, and dads can exploit this by telling them jokes that are so unfunny that they are embarrassing.
By teasingly striking at their children’s egos and emotions without teetering over into bullying, fathers build their children’s resilience and train them to withstand minor attacks and bouts of negative emotion without getting worked up or acting out, teaching them impulse control and emotional regulation,’’ Hye-Knudsen wrote.
Hye-Knudsen states: ‘‘In light of this, it is worth considering dad jokes as a pedagogical tool that may serve a beneficial function for the very children who roll their eyes at them.
‘‘By continually telling their children jokes that are so bad that they’re embarrassing, fathers may push their children’s limits for how much embarrassment they can handle.
They show their children that embarrassment isn’t fatal.
‘‘For a child who is approaching or has entered adolescence, which appears to be a sensitive period for sociocultural processing, this is an immensely valuable lesson.
“In this sense, dad jokes may have a positive pedagogical effect, toughening up the kids who are begrudgingly exposed to them.
‘‘So to all the dads out there who love telling dad jokes to your kids: don’t let their groans, their eye-rolls, or their palpable irritation stop you.
You’re partaking in a long and proud tradition, and your embarrassingly awful jokes may even do them some good.’’
New Zealand makes it into the top three countries where dad jokes are most popular. Number 1 is United States 100%, 2. Australia 85%, 3. New Zealand 73%, 4. Canada 67% and 5. United Kingdom 52%.
And in New Zealand the top 10 areas that love dad jokes the most are 1. Southland 100%, 2. Waikato 69%, 3. Bay Of Plenty 66%, 4. Otago 61%, 5. Wellington 60%, 6. Manawatu-Wanganui 47%, 7. Auckland 46%, 8. Hawke’s Bay 42%, 9. Canterbury 41%, 10. Northland 40%.
Some classic dad jokes to share with your kids:
I am always so tired when the 1st of April rolls around, it’s like I just finished a 31 day March.
I was kicked out of music school accused of theft, I was only taking notes.
I have successfully managed to weigh a rainbow, turns out it was pretty light.
Did you hear about the little boy who swallowed some coins and was admitted to hospital.
When the doctor did his rounds, he asked the nurse how he was doing. The nurse said there was ‘no change’.
Knock knock. Who’s there? Olive. Olive who? I love you too!
Paddy says to Robert, ‘‘I’m getting circumcised tomorrow.’’ Robert says ‘‘I had that done when I was a few days old. I couldn’t walk for about a year.’’
I fell asleep in a chair yesterday, when I woke up someone had put a tea bag in my mouth, I’m not happy, I hate being taken for a mug.
As a child I was forced to walk the plank. We couldn’t afford a dog.
Unscramblerer.com
