Dad Jokes

There is a whiteboard near the employee entrance at Benjamin Rose. It is on the wall near the staircase. If you are using the stairs, or leaving the building, it’s hard to miss. There is a dry erase marker in the tray underneath it.

And often, there is a brief message written on it.

What’s an astronaut’s favorite part of the computer? The Space Bar.

Did you laugh? Roll your eyes? Maybe groan a little?

Corny, often punny. Dad jokes are so “bad” they’re “good.” Sometimes, they are just bad. But we tell them anyway.

What makes it a Dad joke? It’s short form. No more than a few sentences. Not all short jokes are Dad jokes, but all Dad jokes can be told or texted quickly. They are easy to remember. Even if you really don’t want to.

Knock-knock jokes aren’t really Dad jokes. Neither are elephant jokes.

Why did the elephant stand on the marshmallow? So he wouldn’t fall in the hot chocolate.

And Dad jokes are clean. No slurs. Nothing off-color. A joke you can share with your kids. Or grandkids. And ones they can share with you. Dad jokes celebrate the silly and the absurd.

Sometimes the only person who appreciates a Dad joke is the one who tells it.

“I’m thirsty.” “Nice to meet you Thirsty. My name is Bill.”

According to Wikipedia, variations on this particular joke—I’m hungry, sleepy, thirsty, etc—are the most popular of the Dad jokes. Popular might not be the right word. But, like them or not, Dad jokes seem to be tailor made for the online era of short text messages, memes and TikTok videos. There are Dad joke challenges online—competitions to see who will laugh first.

This is my stepladder. I never knew my real ladder.

Laughing together can be good for us, too. A study from the University of North Carolina demonstrated the importance of laughter as social glue that strengthens our personal relationships. (Laughing with you is good, laughing at you, not so much.) Shared laughter with another person influences how we feel about them. “For people who are laughing together, shared laughter signals that they see the world in the same way, and it momentarily boosts their sense of connection,” says social psychologist Sara Algoe, co-author of the study with Laura Kurtz. “Perceived similarity ends up being an important part of the story of relationships.” Sharing a joke or a laugh helps promote positive emotions, builds social supports and helps people feel better about their relationships with others. It’s one of the reasons that public speakers often begin their presentation with a joke. It is a way to “break the ice” and make a connection with the people in the audience. That joke may make the crowd enjoy the speech more, and help them feel more connected to those around them.