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Your kids might hate your corny jokes, but those same bad jokes might be the key to making them love you forever.

OK, that might be a slight exaggeration. But a fascinating new study recently published in the journal PLOS One indicates that using humor in our parenting might have a bigger impact than we realize.

The authors of the pilot study found that while there was a lot of existing research on how parents can use play in their child-rearing efforts, there was very little information about humor, specifically.

So, they asked a selection of adult respondents about if and how their own parents used humor at home and how those people viewed those childhood experiences years later.

The results were decisive. Funny parents were viewed more positively, had stronger relationships with their adult kids, and were perceived as better and more effective parents.

Before you go draining your life savings to enroll in clown college, it’s worth noting that the study is only a starting point. It didn’t feature a large or diverse group of respondents (a majority were white males) and it relied on self-reporting many years after the fact.

Still, the findings offer a really reassuring and optimistic view of parenting. Along with cooking, cleaning, and doing endless laundry—plus those little things like being a good person and role model—taking time to make your kids laugh is always a worthwhile task.

Why Humor Is an Important Parenting Tool

Laughing together as a family is obviously fun, but the researchers were particularly interested in humor as a tool and how it can be used in everyday parenting situations.

“Notably, humor can induce frameshifts (i.e., changes in perspective) that alter how we interpret an event or response, and thereby open new possibilities for children and parents alike,” the study says.1

In other words, joking around can change the dynamic of situations that are headed for conflict in a way that few other parenting techniques can.

One example in the study notes how, when all efforts to soothe a toddler tantrum fail, a parent might try playfully throwing a tantrum of their own. It may get their child laughing and feeling better, with the added bonus of helping to prevent the parent from growing overly frustrated.1

I absolutely love this idea. I’m naturally extremely silly and goofy with my kids, especially in high-pressure moments. I can tell when I’m getting nowhere with a lesson or admonishment and it’s time to break the tension with a joke or a game. But I had never considered using humor as an opportunity to reframe my own reaction to a situation when I feel myself losing patience or getting frustrated.

It may also have lasting effects too. Reena Patel, LEP, BCBA, positive psychologist and parenting expert, says that learning how to joke around in stressful scenarios from watching you is a highly beneficial lifelong skill for kids to pick up. “It can really help kids’ perspective and help with seeing things in a positive light,” says Patel.

Easy Tips To Add Humor To Parenting

But what if being silly or goofy with the kids doesn’t come as easy to you? What if you’re…not funny?

Patel says that playing is often close enough, if you’re a total beginner to the comedy game. “Get on your child’s level and just purely enjoy time with them,” she says. “The laughs will come when you are playing and enjoying time together.”

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