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Laughter may indeed be the best medicine, especially when it comes to parenting, according to a new study led by researchers from Penn State. Published in the journal PLOS ONE, the study explores how parents’ use of humor can strengthen their relationships with their children, revealing that humor may be an effective and underutilized parenting tool.
The pilot study, conducted by a team of researchers including Benjamin Levi, a professor of pediatrics and humanities at Penn State College of Medicine, found that a significant number of participants viewed humor as beneficial in parenting. The study surveyed 312 individuals aged 18 to 45, with more than half reporting that they were raised by caregivers who used humor. An impressive 71.8% agreed that humor could be an effective tool in raising children.
“Humor can teach people cognitive flexibility, relieve stress, and promote creative problem solving and resilience,” Levi explained. “I use humor in my clinical practice and with my own children. The question became, how does one constructively use humor?”
The study highlighted a noteworthy correlation between the use of humor by parents and the quality of their relationship with their children. Of those whose parents used humor, over half reported having a good relationship with their parents, and 44.2% felt that their parents did a good job raising them. Conversely, among those who said their parents did not use humor, only a small fraction reported positive feelings about their relationship or their upbringing.
First author Lucy Emery, who was a medical student at Penn State College of Medicine at the time of the research and is now a pediatrics resident at Boston Children’s Hospital, noted the parallels between business and parenting. “In business, humor has been shown to reduce hierarchies, create better environments for collaboration and creativity, and diffuse tension. Parenting, although more loving, can benefit similarly from humor, especially in stressful situations.”
The study is the first step in a broader effort to understand how humor can be used constructively in parenting. The research team plans to expand their study to include a larger and more diverse group of parents, and to gather qualitative data on the experiences of parents using humor.
“My hope is that people can learn to use humor as an effective parenting tool, not only to diffuse tension but to develop resilience and cognitive and emotional flexibility in themselves and model it for their children,” Levi said.
The research highlights the potential of humor to not only improve parent-child relationships but also to foster important life skills in children, such as resilience and problem-solving abilities. As the team continues their work, the findings could pave the way for new approaches in parenting education and support.
Journal Reference:
Lucy Emery et al, Humor in parenting: Does it have a role?, PLOS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306311
