It's been the season for "dad jokes" with Father's Day having rolled around again, and children no doubt laughing (or groaning). Maybe you'll hear your own father, partner, or friend crack a dad joke or two. You know the ones:

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What is the most condescending animal? A pan-DUH!

Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything!

Yes, dad jokes can be fun. They play an important role in how we interact with our kids. But dad jokes may also help prepare them to handle embarrassment later in life.

Dad jokes are a distinct style of humour consisting of puns that are simple, wholesome and often involve a cheesy delivery.

These jokes usually feature obvious wordplay and a straightforward punchline that leaves listeners either chuckling or emitting an exaggerated groan.

This corny brand of humour is popular. There are hundreds of websites, YouTube videos and TikToks dedicated to them. You can even play around with dad joke generators if you need some inspiration.

People seem to love dad jokes, partly because of the puns.

A study published earlier this year found people enjoy puns more than most other types of jokes. The authors also suggested that if you groan in response to a pun, this can be a sign you enjoy the joke, rather than find it displeasing.

Other research shows that dad jokes work on at least three levels:

1. As tame puns

Humour typically violates a kind of boundary. At the most basic level,........

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