Mini Episode 24 - Why do we love celebs with dad bods?

Emma from Canberra wants to know why we dread the shred and go jelly for the belly

Dan (00:17):
What's up? Welcome back to another episode of Bad Decisions. I'm your host, Dan Moneheit. Hi from Hardhat, and today we have a question coming to you live, well, not so live. Today we have a question coming to you from Emma in Canberra.

Emma (00:30):
I've seen it more and more in the tabloids, pap shots and social media. It seems that six packs are out. Why do we suddenly love dad bods?

Dan (00:39):

Look, Emma, does it really matter why for once? Can't we just enjoy the simple fact that it is? Cause look, I'm gonna be real with you here as a dad with a bod, I feel like trying to get to the bottom of this is like your kid's trying to get to the bottom of how the tooth fairy works. Like seriously, nothing good can come of this, but ala I have a professional responsibility that I take very, very seriously. And as a professional answerer of these questions, I guess me and my dad, Bo, are gonna be doing this whether we like it or not. So first little bit of background here, just for anybody not living at the bleeding edge of cool the dad, Bo Sported by a celebs like Leo DiCaprio and John Krasinski has become quite the thing. And who am I to complain?

(01:24)
I mean, these guys have got a point. Why hit the gym like you're some sort of freaking Hemsworth when you can achieve similar levels of appeal with some light, double bit of punch, and a smirk that expertly says, Yeah, I know, but also I don't really care. In the largely superficial world of fashion and influence, Dad, bods do seem like an unusual, if not ironic twist. So whether you've got one or you want one, grab your six pack or your six pack, and let's find out why dad bods are a thing. So sitting right in the guts of this question is something called the pratfall effect. Now, the Pratt fall effect is the idea that people who are considered to be highly competent, intelligent, or experts in some way actually become more likable after committing a blunder so long as the blunder is completely unrelated to what they're meant to be experts at.

(02:13)
In 1966, researcher Elliot Aronson in his crew asked groups of university students to listen to a tape recording of a fellow student who they were told was representing their school. In a quiz of academic prowess, the researchers played different recordings, one in which a brilliant student correctly answered 92% of questions, and another in which lousy student fumbled their way to a kind of pathetic 30%. Now, some of the recordings ended at the conclusion of the quiz, while others included a sudden splashing sound and the contestant exclaiming, Oh my God, I spilled coffee all over my suit. From here. The students needed to rate the contestants on a number of attributes. Interestingly, the researchers found that the highly intelligent contestant was considered much more likable when he'd spilled coffee all over himself. Yes, he was smart, but now he was also more relatable. Unfortunately, for Mr.

(03:09)
Mediocre, the opposite was true. Being daft and clumsy was a losing combination. The key to building likability through the Pratfall effect is to stay brilliant at what's important while flaunting imperfections around what's not. I think one of the best examples is things like discount airlines. If you consider Ryan Air, I mean these guys do not joke about the quality of their planes or their pilots, but they do make light of their lack of food service and pretty much any other basic amenities that you might expect from an airplane. It's for this reason. We often find actors more endearing when they're packing a poche midsection. Instead of being out of touch, Lamborghini, driving mega mansion, buying super humans, Dad bods, prove that even big name celebrities can be flawed and lacking motivation just like the rest of us. Q, empathy, relatability, and a whole lot of dad bond directed love in advertising.

(04:02)
Most brands are relentlessly trying to promote the very best versions of themselves, which makes highlighting imperfections a surefire way to stand out. Just remember, exposing your own weaknesses only works if you are already shining brightly in the areas customers expect you to. So there we have it, Emma. That is why we love celebs with dad bods, and you know, who am I to argue? If you are sitting out there listening to this and now remembering do you have a question about a weird or wonderful human behavior that you've observed, shoot it through to me. I'd love to hear it. I'll do my best to answer it. You can get me Dan Monheit or all over the internet. You can email me, ask dan@hardhat.com au. Catch you next time.