A new Penn State study from suggests that humor can be a great parenting tool. The study found that people believe humor helps improve parent-child relationships. Kids with humorous parents often have a better view of their relationship with them. The results were published in PLOS One.
“Humor can improve flexibility, reduce stress, and boost problem-solving skills,” said Benjamin Levi from Penn State. “My father used humor effectively, and I do too. The key is knowing how to use humor well.”
While humor’s benefits in various settings are known, its role in parenting has yet to be studied much. Lucy Emery noted that, like in business, humor can ease tensions and improve relationships in parenting, helping both parents and children feel better in stressful times.
This study was the first to explore how people view humor in parenting and being parented. It aims to show how humor can be used effectively and in risky situations.
Surveying 312 people aged 18 to 45, over half were raised by humorous parents, and 71.8% believed humor is a good parenting tool. Most said they use or plan to use humor with their children, seeing more benefits than risks.
The study also found that adults whose parents used humor generally had better relationships with their parents. Half of these adults felt their parents did a good job parenting them. In contrast, those whose parents didn’t use humor had much lower rates of positive views about their relationships and parenting.
Unsurprisingly, parents who were raised with humor use it with their kids. However, the significant differences between those who do and don’t use humor were unexpected.
The research team plans to study a more extensive and varied group of parents and look into their experiences with humor. Levi hopes to show that humor can help with parenting by easing tension and building resilience and flexibility for parents and children.
Journal reference:
- Lucy Emery, Anne Libera et al., Humor in parenting: Does it have a role? PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306311.
