Why “dad jokes” stick with you for a week

Why did the golfer wear two pair of socks last weekend? In case he got a hole in one! (Hehe)

You would look your friend straight in the eyes and tell them, “that’s not funny” with a deadly serious face if they told you this joke. However, your dad tells you the same joke- chances are that it would cause you to laugh. And even worse, the joke would probably stick in your head for the next week. (Nothing is worse that a bad joke stuck in your head for the next week.)

On the scale of funny-dad jokes are usually bad jokes. We all feel the same way about these jokes. So why do these bad jokes stick in your head for a week? The answer is simple- it’s not the joke or the delivery. It’s the guy who told the joke that makes them stick with you.

Dad jokes are corny. I think this is one of the reasons that dad jokes stick with you. Dad jokes are usually bad jokes. I don’t understand psychology or the biochemistry of the human brain well enough to explain why something sticks in your brain. However, I think part of the reason these jokes linger is because they’re so bad.

There’s a time to joke around and a time to be serious. Nothing is better than a good joke at the right time. Nothing is worse than a bad joke with bad timing. It’s like you’re being stood up for a date. You really had high expectations and then the joke fell flat. Dad jokes can be like this.

Unless your father is a paid comedian, he probably doesn’t have the skills to pull off of a standup comedy routine. It takes timing to pull off a joke. In fact, most jokes need more than just timing, they need personality to back them up. This is what makes bad jokes work. Your dad probably has a corny personality. Only a corny personality can pull off corny jokes.

Warning dads – don’t try these jokes in public! This type of joke will not work at the office. It will not work with your friends at the gym. Your friends and workers might like you, but they don’t understand you like your family. That’s why these jokes won’t work at the office or with your buddies. They’re only going to work with your family. This very fact demonstrates that the family is different. The relationship that fathers have with their children is different than the relationship you have with anyone else

You’ve probably already figured it out by now… Dad jokes stick in your head for a week not because of the joke but because of the person telling it. It’s the love that dad has for you or that you have for your father that makes this joke linger. Keep this fact in mind fathers, it’s not the humor that makes the joke stick. The joke sticks with your children because they have seen your heart displayed in the home.

I’m using dad jokes as a description of the importance of fathers. Fathers have a much bigger responsibility than just bringing some occasional humor to the home. A father’s job is to set the tone in the home. Homes are strongest when fathers give their time and their affections to their families.

Unfortunately, not all homes have a father like this. Some homes have no male presence in the home at all. This leaves a huge gap in the hearts of sons and daughters. In other homes, dad is present, but his heart is far from the home. This also leaves a lasting impression on children. Some of the strongest homes that I have seen have a father’s presence and his heart.

If you had a ather that gave you his heart and his attention, let him know how much you appreciate him. If your father has passed away and is no longer with you share his influence on you to the next generation. Let your children and grandchildren know what kind of man your father was. If you didn’t have a father around because he was dead or divorced or disconnected from the rest of the family, you know what a huge hole this leaves in a child’s heart. When a father is present in the home and gives his heart to his family even his terrible jokes stick with you.