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| Dad jokes may be good for your brain in one surprising way, experts say |
| 2026-06-22 |
| [FOX] "My neighbor tiled my roof for free. He said it was on the house." While that dad joke might elicit a heavy sigh from family members, experts say a silly pun can alter internal body chemistry and lower 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. In 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 firmly rooted in puns and wordplay. While more advanced comedy requires context, a joke about a neighbor's roof may only require someone to understand the dual meaning of a single phrase. This predictable structure makes dad jokes broadly accessible, creating opportunities for shared humor across generations, the researchers said. Laughter alters internal chemistry by decreasing stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine, while simultaneously increasing happiness chemicals like dopamine, serotonin and endorphins. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
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| Posted by: DarthVader 2026-06-22 15:32 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2026-06-22 11:23 |