Study reveals that laughing together with children helps build emotional relationship with father

Laughing together with children has been shown to play an important role in the emotional relationship between parents and children. Recent research indicates that although both mothers and fathers can make children laugh, such moments have a stronger connection to emotional closeness between fathers and children.

These findings come from research published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology (21 December 2025).

A secure relationship of this kind serves as an important foundation for children to manage emotions and explore their surrounding environment. Traditionally, much research on parenting has focused on how parents respond when children cry or feel afraid. However, positive interactions such as play and laughter also play an important role in family relationships.

Jean-François Bureau, a psychology professor from the University of Ottawa and author of the research, stated that parenting is not merely about avoiding bad behaviour. “Being a good parent is not just about avoiding behaviour that harms children, but also about building positive relationships and enjoying time together with them,” Bureau said, as quoted from PsyPost (14 March 2026).

Each family participated in two research sessions in a laboratory approximately six months apart. During these sessions, researchers asked parents to try to make their children laugh for two minutes without using toys.

After that, the researchers conducted a separation and reunion procedure, in which the parent left the room briefly and then returned. The child’s reaction when the parent returned was used to assess the level of security in the emotional relationship between child and parent.