It’s the research study that my kids and I have needed all our lives (or at least just me): scientific proof that dad jokes are good for you.
That is not to say that dad jokes are good.
Asking, for example, can someone tell me what “idk” stands for? Everyone I ask just says “I don’t know.”… the dictionary definition is that a dad joke is corny or “endearingly unfunny,” and that the punch line is obvious or predictable.
In fact, for many parents, the cornier the joke, the better.
Like that time the past, the present, and the future walked into a bar.
Yeah, it was tense.
But the corniness of dad jokes is what makes them so useful.
According to a new study from The British Psychological Society, telling a very simple, groan-inducing joke is a pretty complex process.
You start out with a setup line, which sets the social expectation that something funny is going to happen.
Then there’s a punch line that’s so unfunny that it undercuts the listener’s expectation for something funny to happen.
Which is in itself kind of funny.
Like if I go, I just visited the imitation wind turbine exhibit. Honestly, not a fan, it’s so bad, it’s kind of good.
The researchers say that dad jokes help teach kids how to regulate their emotions in awkward or cringe-inducing situations.
The other benefit is that a dad joke lets kids see an adult who’s willing to embarrass himself and is ok with it.
It helps them build emotional resilience, because we all get embarrassed sometimes.
And if they see somebody telling absolutely eye-rolling jokes and that person is fine, then they’ll be able to handle their own situations too.
Unless that situation is sitting down for dinner at a restaurant on the moon.
The food is great, but the place has no atmosphere.
Scientists in Germany have been working with new anti-fungal compounds.
Since they essentially open up holes inside fungal pathogens, the researchers thought it would be fitting to name them after the guy who plays John Wick.
The compounds are called keanumycins.
‘Dad jokes? That’s the way eye roll…’ (British Psychological Society)
Keanumycins: Keanu Reeves inspires name of newly-discovered fungus-killing bacteria (Esquire)
