Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jul 17;19(7):e0306311.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306311. eCollection 2024.

Humor in parenting: Does it have a role?

Lucy Emery  1 , Anne Libera  2 , Erik Lehman  3 , Benjamin H Levi  4
Affiliations

Humor in parenting: Does it have a role?

Lucy Emery et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Despite the widespread use of humor in social interactions and the considerable literature on humor in multiple fields of study, the use of humor in parenting has received very little formal study. The purpose of this pilot study was to gather preliminary data on the use of humor in the raising of children.

Materials and methods: We developed and administered a 10-item survey to measure people's experiences being raised with humor and their views regarding humor as a parenting tool. Responses were aggregated into Disagree, Indeterminate, and Agree, and analyzed using standard statistical methods.

Results: Respondents (n = 312) predominantly identified as male (63.6%) and white (76.6%) and were (by selection) between the ages of 18-45 years old. The majority of participants reported that they: were raised by people who used humor in their parenting (55.2%); believe humor can be an effective parenting tool (71.8%) and in that capacity has more potential benefit than harm (63.3%); either use (or plan to use) humor in parenting their own children (61.8%); and would value a course on how to utilize humor in parenting (69.7%). Significant correlations were found between the use of humor and both i) the quality of respondents' relationships with their parents and ii) assessments of how good a job their parents had done.

Conclusions: In this pilot study, respondents of childbearing/rearing age reported positive views about humor as a parenting tool.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Survey questions.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Views regarding potential efficacy for humor as a parenting tool.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Views regarding value of a course on humor.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Views regarding plan to use humor.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Conger RD, Belsky J, Capaldi DM. The intergenerational transmission of parenting: Closing comments for the special section. Developmental Psychology. 2009;45(5):1276–1283. doi: 10.1037/a0016911 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Information for patients and their families. American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Published June 9, 2022. (Accessed July 23, 2023) https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Resources_for_Primary_Care/Information_for_P....
    1. American Academy of Pediatrics. HealthyChildren.org—From the American Academy of Pediatrics. HealthyChildren.org. Published 2019. (Accessed July 23, 2023) https://www.healthychildren.org/English/Pages/default.aspx.
    1. Altmann TR, Hill DL, Shelov SP, Hannemann RE. Caring for Your Baby and Young Child. Bantam Books; 2019.
    1. Sege RD, Siegel BS. Effective discipline to raise healthy children. Pediatrics. 2018;142(6):e20183112. doi: 10.1542/peds.2018-3112 - DOI - PubMed