In this book, Catherine Price makes the case that 'True Fun'—defined as the combination of playfulness, connection, and flow—is crucial for our well-being. She weaves together scientific research and personal experience to reveal the mental, physical, and cognitive benefits of fun. The book provides a practical, personalized plan to help readers achieve better screen/life balance and incorporate more fun into their lives without feeling overwhelmed. Price argues that by prioritizing True Fun, individuals can become happier, healthier, more productive, and less stressed, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling life.
In this classic work, Csikszentmihalyi investigates 'optimal experience' and reveals that true happiness and satisfaction can be achieved through a state of consciousness called 'flow.' During flow, individuals experience complete concentration on the task, clarity of goals, and immediate feedback. The book demonstrates how this positive state can be controlled and how it can improve the quality of life by unlocking meaning, creativity, and peak performance.
In this book, Bronnie Ware shares her experiences from working in palliative care, where she identified the five most common regrets of the dying. These regrets include: 'I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me,' 'I wish I hadn’t worked so hard,' 'I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings,' 'I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends,' and 'I wish that I had let myself be happier.' The book provides a heartfelt and inspiring account of how these regrets can be addressed while there is still time, promoting a life of greater compassion, honesty, and happiness.
What exactly is “fun?” How will you know when you’re having it? Do introverts have special alone fun? Is it okay to seek fun in bleak times? Catherine Price is an award-winning journalist and author who spent years researching the science of fun for her book “The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again.” She let me lob many questions at her including: adult vs. childhood fun, what’s the difference between happiness and laughter and fun, what does fun do to your actual meat body, how can you have more of it, do substances mean more fun, and how to have fun when the world is crumbling in cinders around you – and why it’s important that you do. It’s a fun one, I promise.
Visit Catherine’s website and follow her on Instagram and X
Read her book: The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again
Subscribe to her Substack newsletter, How to Feel Alive with Catherine Price
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More episode sources and links
Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes
Other episodes you may enjoy: Eudemonology (HAPPINESS), Gelotology (LAUGHTER), Attention-Deficit Neuropsychology (ADHD), Addictionology (ADDICTION), Felinology (CATS), Genocidology (CRIMES OF ATROCITY), Ludology (VIDEO GAMES), Quasithanatology (NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES), Psychedeliology (HALLUCINOGENS)
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