You gotta love fathers, but they don't always make it easy. Something happens to their brains when they become dads as if they have become part of a crazy father cult. They wear New Balance sneakers and 100-year-old t-shirts, constantly moan about the lights, and get fixated on the thermostat. Let’s not forget the dad jokes!
Most dads seem to join a grumpy tribe of early-rising madmen who fall asleep in armchairs — and no, they aren't “just resting their eyes.” We are here to set your mind at ease and make you realize that this alien “dadness” isn't just in your imagination. Something does happen in a dad’s brain that makes them slightly nuts.
Dads are hilarious, however — especially when they aren't on a moan fest. They win us over with their weird dad antics and the constant barrage of dad jokes. So here is a shout-out to all those fathers who are giving us a laugh between our eye rolls — forty dad memes that prove dads are the funniest people alive.
#1 Classic Dad Joke Gone Wrong: When Parenting Gets Hilarious and Awkward
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#2 Dad’s Daily Struggle: Sure They’re Asking, But You’re Definitely Not Winning!
#3 “When Dad’s Lecture Hits and You’re About to Drop the ‘I Forgot My Bag’ Bomb”
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Science Confirms: Dads’ Brains Shrink, But Their Love (and Craziness) Grows
Recent studies show that dads actively raising their kids’ brains are, in fact, getting smaller! No jokes. According to Jill Seladi-Schulman, Ph.D., shrinkage happens in the frontal lobes — parts of the brain involved in memory, impulse control, emotions, and social interactions (Healthline, 2020) (1).
Cleveland Clinic adds that dad’s parietal lobes also shrink, a part of the brain that gives your pops a sense of direction (2). Meanwhile, James K Rillingis, professor and department chair of anthropology at Emory College, points out that men, when they become dads, suffer a marked loss of testosterone, influencing their sex drive, mood, and changes in muscle and fat ratios (Aeon, 2020) (3).
#4 Dad’s Proud, But You’re Wondering if Mom’s Car Borrowing Adventure is Worth the Risk
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#5 Best Dad Meme Right Here: When You’re Sure They’re Prepared with Their DIY Sharpening Skills
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Dorky Dads on Vacay: Why Teens Would Rather Stay Home
Dads seem to get a kick out of embarrassing their children. In fact, some fathers suffer from chronic EPS or “embarrassing parent syndrome,” as brilliantly coined by Taylor Herring PR Agency (4).
Adding to the notion, in 2023, Easyjet surveyed a thousand teens about their holiday experiences with their families (5). You don't need to ask who embarrasses them the most — it was their dads!
Topping the red list were pops’ dance moves, loud complaining, and pigging out at the buffet — things any teen can relate to. Almost 50 percent of the teens surveyed couldn’t remember a holiday without their dad them to squirm in shame.
Funnily enough, over 50 percent of the fathers quizzed in the same survey reckoned they were pretty “cool” on family vacations. It also comes as no surprise that 49 percent of the dads reckoned embarrassing their kids was a “duty of fatherhood!”
#6 Turning Homework into the Ultimate Crying Competition
#7 Dad’s Jokes: Mastering the Art of Cringe at Home and Work
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When Scary Dads Meet Their Daughter’s Boyfriends
Dads are so enchanted with their little princesses that they are a menace to any boys that stray into their daughters’ lives. Some evolutionary psychologists suggest that this may be a genetic throwback.
According to a 2013 feature by Bristol University, our male ancestors battled with their daughters’ potential mates because a bad partner would strain the family’s resources (6).
Not much has changed today. When your little angel brings home some deadbeat poet or, worse, a DJ, they meet them with the “dad stare.” It’s understandable; dads want someone to look after their daughter. The problem is girls are more interested in a guy’s sense of humor, says Gwendolyn Seidman, Ph.D. in a 2019 feature for Psychology Today (7).
Dads’ should be aware of the Romeo and Juliet effect, a psychological phenomenon where parental opposition to a romantic relationship increases the intensity and attraction between the couple (The Journal of Social Psychology, 2014) (8). In other words, if fathers hate their daughter’s boyfriend — they will like him even more.
Being a “scary” dad will also strain your relationship with your kid. So stop being scary and trying to make your girl’s date squirm — you might be stoking the flames!
#8 Dad’s Genius Parenting Move
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#9 Dad’s Game Day Double Standard: He’s Calm Until It’s Football Time
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Dad Humor: A Long History of Inducing Eye-Rolls
Most people would describe their father’s jokes as a series of painful plays on words that cause their eyes to roll back. It’s easy for everyone to put down "pop's jokes" as just downright annoying, but you’ll be surprised at what the experts say.
Marc Hye-Knudsen suggests this irritating dad trait is essential for a youngster’s development and can help a child grow up (The British Psychology Society, 2023) (9). Dad jokes push their developing kids’ boundaries without overt bullying and teach them resilience in the big bad world.
Dad jokes aren't new. In 1987, Jim Kalbaugh posted an article in the Gettysburg Times urging his readers to “respect and cherish” dad jokes (10). He must have been a dad because he called the corny jokes "a great tradition worth preserving.”
Historically, corny jokes have a long history, dating back to 1900 AD when a Sumerian recorded a proverb about a woman farting on her husband’s lap (Reuters, 2008) (11).
Dad jokes are found not only in the West. The Japanese have their own version of “oyaji gyagu,” which roughly translates to “old men’s jokes.” The Danish also have their version of dad jokes called “onkel humor” or uncle humor.
#10 Dad’s Hilarious Mail Strategy: “You’re Keeping the Bills”
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#11 Dad’s Natural Habitat: The Lawn and Garden Section
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#12 Dad’s Summer Style: New Balance Sneakers and Zip-Off Pants
#13 Just Dad and Me Waiting for That Horn — Best Part of the Day
#14 Parenting at Its Funniest
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#15 “When Your Pet Turns Your Lawn into a Construction Site”
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#16 When Dad’s Priorities Are Clear: “At Least He’s a Doctor”
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#17 Dad’s Viral Laugh: The Time a “Poop Emergency” Got Him Out of a Ticket
#18 Dad’s Hilarious Behavior: When Turning on the Car Light Becomes a Life or Death Situation
#19 Dad’s Backup Strategy
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#20 The Dad Joke Awakening
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#21 Deliver the Ultimate Dad Joke
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#22 A Masterpiece Only a Carpenter’s Child Could Create — Dad Loves It!
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#23 From “I’m Dad” to Socks in Sandals — A Rad Dad Ritual
#24 Dad’s Culinary Assessment: From “What is This?” to “At Least You Tried”
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#25 Dad’s Cool Factor: Sure They’re Embarrassed, But He’s Owning It!
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#26 “Dad’s So-Called “Casual Look” When Your Friends Come Over
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#27 Dad’s Heroic Ketchup Battle
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#28 Dad’s Brilliant “Fix-It” Behavior
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#29 “Is It Genius or Grounds for a Chore Reassessment?”
#30 Father vs Mom: A Different Grade of Concern When You’re in a FightD
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#31 Dad’s Digital Reply: When Emotional Engagement Means 50 Thumbs Up
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#32 Dad’s Digital-Free Childhood: Somehow They Made It Without Apps
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#33 Dad’s Spice Labeling Strategy
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#34 Delivering a Classic Dad Joke While Everyone Cringes
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#35 “Sure, They’re Hurt, But It’s Just a Scratch”
#36 Dad’s Scary Reaction: Forget Talking, He’s Ready to Act
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#37 Dad’s Historically Proven Navigation: Who Needs GPS When You’ve Got Memory
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#38 Dad’s Social Media Game: Delivering the Funniest 5-Year-Old Memes from Facebook
#39 Dad’s Savings Crisis: One Light Left On and Its Financial Doom
#40 Moving a Sign to the Best Spot
References
- Seladi-Schulman, J. “Frontal Lobe Function, Location in Brain, Damage, More.” Healthline, April 20, 2020. | https://www.healthline.com/health/frontal-lobe#:~:text=As+a+whole%2C+the+frontal
- Cleveland Clinic. Parietal Lobe: What It Is, Function, Location and Damage, Cleveland Clinic, January 08, 2023. | https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24628-parietal-lobe
- James K Rilling. “The biology of dads.” Aeon, November 17, 2020. | https://aeon.co/essays/how-raising-children-can-change-a-fathers-brain
- Herring, T. “Prone To Dad Dancing? You may have EPS (Embarrassing Parents Syndrome)” Taylor Herring, July 22, 2015. | https://www.taylorherring.com/prone-to-dad-dancing-you-may-have-eps-embarrasing-parents-syndrome/
- Easyjet Holidays “EasyJet Holidays launches the world’s first in-hotel ‘Dad’s Club.’” August 15, 2023. | https://www.easyjet.com/en/holidays/media,-centre/press-releases/dads-club
- Mascaro, J., Rentscher, K., Hackett, P., Mehl, M., and Rilling, J. “Child Gender Influences Paternal Behavior, Language, and Brain Function.” Behavioral Neuroscience, 2017. | https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bne-bne0000199.pdf
- University of Bristol. Why do some parents think your partner isn’t good enough? September 18, 2013. | https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2013/9750.html
- Seidman PHD, G. “Romeo and Juliet, Do Your Parents Approve of the Relationship?” Psychology Today, June 1, 2019. | https://www.psychologytoday.com/za/blog/close-encounters/201906/romeo-juliet-do-your-parents-approve-of-the-relationship
- Sinclair, H. C., Hood, K. B., and Wright, B. L. (2014). “Revisiting the Romeo and Juliet Effect.” Journal of Social Psychology, January 01, 2014. | https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000181
- Hye-Knudsen, Marc "Dad jokes? That’s the way eye roll” The British Psychological Society, March 14, 2023. | https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/dad-jokes-thats-way-eye-roll
- Jim Kalbaugh. Gettysburg Times Newspaper Archives, June 20, 1987. | https://newspaperarchive.com/gettysburg-times-jun-20-1987-p-5/
- “The world’s oldest joke traced back to 1900 BC." Reuters, July 31, 2008 | https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/worlds-oldest-joke-traced-back-to-1900-bc-idUSKUA147851/
