There are few things more groan-inducing than a bad dad joke. These are the kind of cheesy puns that your father or grandfather might tell you when you’re young, and they’re just as likely to make you cringe now as you’re a grown-up. But while it might be tempting to dismiss dad jokes as sophomoric and unfunny, doing so would be a mistake. The truth is, dad jokes are an incredibly interesting phenomenon that reveals a lot about the psychology of humor and fathers’ relationships with their children. Despite their groan-inducing nature, there is something strangely satisfying about a good dad joke. As the author of a recent article in The New York Times explains, “When it’s done right — when you hear a dad joke that genuinely makes you laugh out loud — dad jokes feel like an act of rebellion.” The problem is that most of us can’t seem to find that happy medium. The reason, according to the author, is that the “standards of what a joke is supposed to be” have changed over time. “Dad jokes are supposed to be so lame that they are funny. They are not, however, supposed to be’mean’ or ‘edgy’.” The father joke has become part of our culture’s definition of masculinity. In contrast to the distant patriarchal figures of previous eras, today’s dads are often more engaged with their children and are more willing to embarrass themselves to make their kids laugh (even if it’s at their expense). This shift in a father’s role also explains why we see dad jokes becoming increasingly common. Dad jokes are so akin to the rough-and-tumble play that fathers instinctively engage in with their children – playing the fool, so to speak – that they often serve a pedagogic function. When dads tease their kids in this way, they are actually encouraging their children to reenact the same teasing behavior in their own social interactions, which can help them develop important skills. In this sense, a dad joke is similar to the idioms that parents use to teach their children basic grammar and vocabulary. The idioms themselves are not necessarily funny, but they create an environment in which it is normal for kids to learn the rules of a language. This can be a very valuable tool in teaching language, as it allows students to practice their skills in a context that is natural and fun. The teasing, pun-based style of dad jokes can be used to help teach children about the structure and meaning of sentences. The sarcasm and ridicule that are associated with dad jokes, however, can also be a great way to teach children the difference between acceptable and unacceptable language. While dad jokes may not be the most sophisticated form of comedy, they have a unique place in the lives of many families. Their relationship to the psychology of humor and fathers’ relationships to their children is what makes them so enduring and worthwhile. bad dad jokes
