There’s now actual scientific research explaining why dad jokes keep surviving family braais, school runs, WhatsApp groups, and awkward office silences.

And according to the team on HOT 1027 Breakfast, the findings make perfect sense — especially if you ask the two dads on the show.

Psychologists analysed more than 32,000 dad jokes in a bid to understand why these painfully cheesy one-liners somehow remain lovable. The conclusion? The perfect dad joke is short, clean, harmless, slightly embarrassing… and usually built around a pun.

Which immediately explained why Simon Hill was paying very close attention.

The study found the best-performing dad jokes tend to focus on safe topics like nature, hospitals, and money, while jokes involving politics, religion, or celebrities are far more likely to flop. In other words: the more eye-rolls they generate without offending anyone, the more successful they are.

Naturally, the team decided to test the top three dad jokes identified in the research live on air.

1. “I accidentally passed my wife a glue stick instead of her lipstick. She’s still not talking to me.”

Why it works: It’s quick, harmless, and built around a simple misunderstanding. It’s also delightfully ridiculous — exactly the kind of joke that earns both a laugh and a groan at the same time.

2. “What country’s capital is growing the fastest? Ireland… because it’s Dublin every day.”

Why it works: Peak dad-joke territory. It’s clean, pun-heavy, and takes a second to click — which somehow makes it even funnier once you get it.

3. “I told a joke on a Zoom meeting but nobody laughed. Turns out I’m not remotely funny.”

Why it works: It’s painfully relatable, especially after years of video calls, and leans into wordplay without trying too hard.

For a brief moment, it sounded like science may actually have cracked the formula.

That was until Simon attempted to contribute one of his own.

The problem? It failed one of the most important scientific requirements for a dad joke: being non-offensive.

Cue immediate chaos in studio.

The conversation quickly turned into a debate about what actually qualifies as a dad joke, why terrible jokes are sometimes the funniest ones, and whether dads are genetically programmed to embarrass everyone around them.

One thing’s certain: science may finally understand dad jokes… but that doesn’t mean anyone can stop them.