Culture Post: Improving Relationships Between Dads and Daughters… It’s a Walk in the Park

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by ScienceDaily.

A simple walk in the park could hold the key to unlocking a close and loving relationship between fathers and daughters, a new study has shown.

Research carried out by the University of Essex’s Dr John Day has found taking part in or just discussing physical activity provides a common ground for the two to develop deep emotional connections and transform the stereotype of distant dads.

The study found that a societal shift in what it means to be a dad, combined with increased focus to exercise to maintain health, has led to physical activity providing a platform for the relationship to thrive.

The study, published in Families, Relationships and Societies journal, involved interviews with 14 women born between 1950 and 1994.

Those born in the 1950s largely discussed how their dads fulfilled the role as the provider for the family, and remained somewhat on the periphery as a parent.

But daughters born in the 1980s and 1990s were raised in social conditions that allowed them to realise and build more emotionally connected relationships with their fathers.

They recalled stories of how they had bonded with their dads while taking part in activities such as walking, swimming and cycling.

Source: ScienceDaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250227125244.htm

Find more culture news on HomeWord’s Culture Blog, named in 2025 for the 10th consecutive year as one of the top 50 culture blogs on the planet (#20 of 50)!