As much as they make you cringe, try not to roll your eyes at your old man’s dad jokes.
Experts say they could be an example of good parenting.
In a new study, researchers at Pennsylvania State University found that Parents who use humor have better relationships with their children.
“Humour can teach people cognitive flexibility, relieve stress and promote creative problem solving and resilience,” said Professor Benjamin Levi, lead author of the study.
As cringe-inducing as they may be, try not to roll your eyes at your dad’s dad jokes. Experts say they might actually be an example of good parenting (file image)
Previous studies have looked at the impact of humor in a variety of settings, including the office and on dates.
However, until now there has been little research on the effects of humor on parenting.
“There’s an interesting parallel between business and parenting, which are both hierarchical,” said Lucy Emery, the study’s first author.
‘In business, humor has been shown to help reduce hierarchies, create better environments for collaboration and creativity, and diffuse tensions.
‘While parent-child relationships are more loving than work relationships, stressful situations often occur during 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 with humor in parenting.
Researchers found a link between parents’ use of humor and how their children (now adults) viewed the way they were raised (file image)
More than half said they were raised by people who used humor, while the vast majority (71.8 percent) agreed that humor can be an effective parenting tool.
Researchers also found a link between parents’ use of humor and how their children (now adults) viewed their personality.
Of the total people who said their parents used humor, 50.5 percent said they had a good relationship with them, while 44.2 percent reported that they felt their parents did a good job raising them.
In contrast, of those who said their parents did not use humor, only 2.9 percent reported having a good relationship with their parents, while only 3.6 percent reported thinking their parents did a good job of raising them.
The team hopes the findings will lead to larger-scale studies into the benefits of using humor in parenting.
Professor Levi added: “My hope is that people can learn to use humour as an effective parenting tool, not only to diffuse tension but also to develop cognitive and emotional resilience and flexibility in themselves and model this for their children.”
