Dad jokes can slash stress hormones by 36% and boost brain health
JD Vance reveals his favorite dad joke
Dana Perino, Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters and Jessica Tarlov gleefully crack classic dad jokes on Fox News’ ‘The Five.’ The debate has been fueled by a recent study highlighted in The Washington Post, which suggests humor, even ’embarrassing’ dad jokes, plays a surprisingly important role in parenting and can help strengthen the bond between fathers and children. The panel illustrates this point with their own memorable one-liners.
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“My neighbor installed my roof for free. He said it was on the house.”
While this dad joke may cause a sigh of relief from family members, experts say the silly pun can change internal body chemistry and reduce stress, potentially providing real health benefits.
Dad jokes are uniquely distinguished by their structure, content, and comedic devices, according to a study published on PsyArXiv, an open-access preprint repository for psychology research.
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Analyzing thousands of examples, psychologists Paul J. Silvia (University of North Carolina at Greensboro) and Meriel I. Burnett (University of Massachusetts Amherst) found that dad humor is closely tied to puns and puns.
While more advanced comedy requires context, a joke about a neighbor’s roof may only require someone to understand the double meaning of a single sentence.
Experts claim that a word game can change body chemistry and reduce stress. (iStock)
This predictable structure makes dad jokes widely accessible, creating opportunities for shared humor across generations, the researchers said.
Laughter changes internal chemistry by reducing stress hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine while also increasing happiness chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin and endorphins.
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A 2023 review in PLOS One found that a single session of laughter can reduce cortisol levels by more than 36%. This decrease in stress activates areas such as the prefrontal cortex, helping the brain process complex ideas.
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Research has linked the ability to understand wordplay to verbal ability, creative thinking, and the ability to make connections between different meanings.
Sharing a good laugh can increase oxytocin, a hormone known to deepen emotional bonds between parents and children. (iStock)
“When we see children laugh, we witness the brilliance of the brain at work: learning, connecting and growing,” Jacqueline Harding, an early childhood expert at Middlesex University in London, told Fox News Digital.
In his book “The Laughing Brain,” Harding states that joy is a complex biological phenomenon that helps children cope with stress and develop more resilient, understanding minds.
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“Hope and humor, it turns out, not only add flavor to life, but also form the basis of the recipe for healthy development.”
The physical benefit extends directly to the family unit. Sharing a good laugh can increase oxytocin, a hormone known to deepen emotional bonds between parents and children. Experts say it also supports what psychologists call co-regulation.
Sharing a good laugh can increase oxytocin, a hormone known to deepen emotional bonds between parents and children. (iStock)
This process allows individuals to manage their own stress by tapping into their shared biological reservoir of positive, safe experiences.
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“Spontaneous, joyful play is an antidote to stress because it increases the levels of endorphins secreted by the brain,” Harding said.
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“Creative, happy play does its most brilliant work at the molecular level, especially at a time when the human brain is most receptive.”
