Psychology

The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again

The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again

  • Downloads：1908
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-12-23 10:21:11
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Catherine Price
  • ISBN：B08ZMHXCJY
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Summary

A provocative case for making fun an essential part of a balanced， purposeful， healthy life， from the author of How to Break Up with Your Phone

"Sharp， entertaining， and persuasive， The Power of Fun is an essential guide for anyone who can't quite remember what it's like to experience joy。"--Laurie Santos， professor of psychology， Yale University， and host of The Happiness Lab podcast

In our always-on， productivity-addicted lifestyles， we tend to think of the pursuit of fun as being indulgent， even immature and childish。 When we do find the time to relax or care for ourselves， we tend to turn to activities that are not actually restorative: binging Netflix， scrolling through Twitter， or indulging our FOMO on Instagram。 Through years of research， journalist Catherine Price has learned the truth: far from being frivolous or a distraction， fun is actually the secret to achieving our goals。 If you reorient your life around what you personally find fun--true fun--you will be happier and healthier。 You will be more productive， less resentful， and less stressed。 You will have more energy， for yourself and for other people。 You will find community and a sense of purpose。 You will feel alive again。

In The Power of Fun， Price unpacks the latest research on the necessity of fun and includes tips and strategies--similar in style to the practical advice that made her book How to Break Up with Your Phone a smash hit--to help people find actionable ways to incorporate fun into their daily lives。 Groundbreaking， eye-opening， and packed with useful guidance， The Power of Fun is a revealing depiction of the ways that fun is far from trivial。 In fact， it is the key to waking up and living a more meaningful life。

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Reviews

Mark ，

LJ 146 （12）， December 2021

Laurence R。 ，

Catherine Price has a keen appreciation for what is lacking in our 21st century， techno-centric lives。 First in "How To Break Up with Your Phone" and now with "The Power of Fun" Price takes a deep dive into the empty， mindless and mirthless ways we engage or spend our time today。 The author （along with a good number of health care professionals） concludes what is lacking in our existence is the interest in or worse still the ability to have fun。It is particularly helpful how Price breaks down wh Catherine Price has a keen appreciation for what is lacking in our 21st century， techno-centric lives。 First in "How To Break Up with Your Phone" and now with "The Power of Fun" Price takes a deep dive into the empty， mindless and mirthless ways we engage or spend our time today。 The author （along with a good number of health care professionals） concludes what is lacking in our existence is the interest in or worse still the ability to have fun。It is particularly helpful how Price breaks down what constitutes fun （it is not necessarily satisfaction or enjoyment--balancing your checkbook my satisfy your OCD but it ain't fun。 Neither is binging on Netflix or rewatching Game of Thrones。 Posting on Facebook？ Definitely NOT fun。 Fun， Price reminds us， must generate playfulness， connection and flow。 It does not necessarily need to involve others but it very often does。 It always creates connection， absorption and often laughter。 Activities that build camaraderie and bonhomie？ Those are the Fun jackpot。There is a good deal of breaking down what constitutes fun。 Some of it is more helpful than other categorizations。 Unsurprisingly， I didn't find all of the steps to identifying fun as helpful or even necessary。 For me， there was some repetitiveness。 But surely others would disagree and appreciate a more detailed breakdown。 What is incontrovertible is that Catherine Price is right in arguing there is too little fun in our lives and we all need to focus on having more。Price is careful not to overpromise。 Fun is not a cure for mental health issues or depression （though it does relieve anxiety and loneliness）。 Learning "to play" again will not lead to lives lived Happily Ever After。 But they will be lived more happily more often。 They will feel enriched by the pursuit of fun and we will be surprised and delighted by the connection we have made to others and the world around us。 Because the best thing about fun is there is its ripple effect。 What could be more worthwhile than that？ 。。。more

Dolly ，

Fantastic book！ Beautifully written and evidence-based。 So relatable and so actionable。 And it turns out， True Fun is possible for everyone， not just "fun people。" This book is having a real impact on how I see myself and the small+big choices I make。 Highly recommend！ Fantastic book！ Beautifully written and evidence-based。 So relatable and so actionable。 And it turns out， True Fun is possible for everyone， not just "fun people。" This book is having a real impact on how I see myself and the small+big choices I make。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more

Benjamin Herbstman ，

Catherine Price’s new book is nothing short of a delight。 Price， a serious journalist who doesn’t take herself too seriously， has written a book that couldn’t be more timely given the multitude of un-fun aspects of life in 2021 from climate change to political unrest to Covid。 Price nicely makes the argument that by focusing on fun， which she defines as a combination of playfulness， connection， and flow， we will be able to feel more joy and rejuvenation as well as have the strength and resilienc Catherine Price’s new book is nothing short of a delight。 Price， a serious journalist who doesn’t take herself too seriously， has written a book that couldn’t be more timely given the multitude of un-fun aspects of life in 2021 from climate change to political unrest to Covid。 Price nicely makes the argument that by focusing on fun， which she defines as a combination of playfulness， connection， and flow， we will be able to feel more joy and rejuvenation as well as have the strength and resiliency to face the un-fun aspects of our times。 Price’s last book laid out the case for why – and how – to break up with your phone （or computer or whatever else has been designed to steal your time （i。e。， your life））。 This book will help you figure out what to do with the time that you have rediscovered while gently providing encouragement to step outside of your comfort zone and into a life that doesn’t make you feel dead inside。 A must read。 。。。more

Adam Benforado ，

As the pandemic shroud descended， I gave up on fun。 With two working parents， two little kids， and no childcare， I decided that fun no longer fit my lifestyle。 It was one of the personal “luxuries” that I had to do without for a while。 As I always had， I continued to pursue fun for my children—but I told myself that a prudent， disciplined adult in my position would focus on other things until the landscape changed to something less foreboding。 Catherine Price’s excellent， eye-opening new book ha As the pandemic shroud descended， I gave up on fun。 With two working parents， two little kids， and no childcare， I decided that fun no longer fit my lifestyle。 It was one of the personal “luxuries” that I had to do without for a while。 As I always had， I continued to pursue fun for my children—but I told myself that a prudent， disciplined adult in my position would focus on other things until the landscape changed to something less foreboding。 Catherine Price’s excellent， eye-opening new book has made me realize my mistake。 Fun is not “just for kids。” Fun is not optional。 Fun is not something that detracts from more serious pursuits。 Fun is essential and when you turn your back on it， you imperil all of the oh-so-serious facets of your life: your health， your work productivity， and your relationships。 Marshaling the latest social science evidence， Catherine makes a powerful case for the incredible benefits that arise in moments of fun。 Devouring an advance copy of the manuscript in a single reading， I found myself nodding along as she explained the nuances of playfulness， connection， and flow。 It all made sense， but I hadn’t had the sense to see it。 Catherine is a keen observer， but she’s also a funny writer and I wonder if it was the laughing out loud that produced the lasting impact。 Whatever the cause， when I finished， I felt refreshed: I’d made a mistake， but I now knew what I needed to do。With the new year， I’m committing to finding True Fun。 If you’ve been gritting your teeth， buckling down the hatches， keeping calm and carrying on， through the last two years， I encourage you—indeed， I implore you—to pick up this book。 2022 can be a different year！ 。。。more

Lydia Wallace ，

I wish I would have read this book earlier in my life as I am 64 years old now。 After reading this book I felt so uplifted and realized it is never to late to enjoy life and have fun。 I wake up each morning now feeling happier and looking for something fun to do each day。 It might be something small or large but it brings me joy。 Thanks Catherine Price。 Highly recommend。

Mary ，

I just learned that I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway when a copy showed up on my porch！ （I missed the email somehow。）

Elizabeth ，

This was an interesting read。 While I’m not diving head first into adopting her plan for adding more fun to my life， she has made me think about the role of fun in my life and how to make it more prevalent。

Crystal ，

The Power of Fun was such an inspirational read for me。 I have learned so much from this novel and it will stick with me as it has me reevaluating my life， who I spend time with and how I spend my time。 I highly recommend this novel and I am now off to request other books from this author。

Ann ，

I was really looking forward to "The Power of Fun"。 Who doesn't need more fun in their life？I only got about halfway through the book。She had me at the beginning。 All the personal anecdotes helped make her points very clear。The only problem was that she made it into a science （which I don't agree that fun is）。It seems to me that this subject would make a great essay （for the New York Times？）The bottom line is: she defines fun as playfulness， connection and flow。 When you have one of these， you a I was really looking forward to "The Power of Fun"。 Who doesn't need more fun in their life？I only got about halfway through the book。She had me at the beginning。 All the personal anecdotes helped make her points very clear。The only problem was that she made it into a science （which I don't agree that fun is）。It seems to me that this subject would make a great essay （for the New York Times？）The bottom line is: she defines fun as playfulness， connection and flow。 When you have one of these， you are heading in the right direction。 When you have all three， you are having Real Fun （as opposed to Fake Fun， which she also defines）。So， you need to think about situations where you had one or two or all three of the components of Real Fun。 And repeat。I think I've summed the book up nicely。 。。。more

Lisa ，

I felt like this book didn't need to be nearly as long as it was。 There wasn't a ton new in the messaging and I didn't learn much， but it's certainly an important message and had a lot of good reminders in it。 I felt like this book didn't need to be nearly as long as it was。 There wasn't a ton new in the messaging and I didn't learn much， but it's certainly an important message and had a lot of good reminders in it。 。。。more

Todd Kashdan ，

Of all the documentaries， podcasts， and books I've digested over the years none have been as persuasive as The Power of Fun to wean me from my smartphone screen （and convince others to do the same）。 But don't be mislead。 This is not an authoritarian creed on the evils of smartphones。 What this book addresses is the next seemingly obvious question - if you detox from screens， what's the plan for entertaining yourself？ You probably don't have a great answer and neither did I。 This is one reason ki Of all the documentaries， podcasts， and books I've digested over the years none have been as persuasive as The Power of Fun to wean me from my smartphone screen （and convince others to do the same）。 But don't be mislead。 This is not an authoritarian creed on the evils of smartphones。 What this book addresses is the next seemingly obvious question - if you detox from screens， what's the plan for entertaining yourself？ You probably don't have a great answer and neither did I。 This is one reason kids refuse to leave their screens。 This is at the core of why adults are often worse than kids with their screen addictions。 People just don't know what to do with their free time。 Consider this quote from the late Dr。 Mihalyi Csiksentmihalyi， author of Flow: In their free time people feel that there is generally not much to do and their skills are not being used， and therefore they tend to feel more sad， weak， dull， and dissatisfied。In general， adults have a hard time having fun。 Being silly。 Being rebellious。 Laughing uproariously without a hint of self-consciousness。 Entering into a playful mindset and diving headfirst into activities。 This book is going to change people's lives。 It is a manifesto on how to live with more playfulness and exuberance。 I really hope this gets into the hands of people I bump into at future bars and parties。 I don't just want to inject more fun into my life， I want to be surrounded and infected by other people enjoying themselves。I do want to add a bonus reason to read this book - you will adore the author。 She is $#@！ hilarious。 The way she experiments on herself。 The way she details the intimate connections and arguments with her partner。 She is witty。 She is intelligent。 And she has a masterful way of relying on research but keeping it in the background。 Her playful writing style makes this book infinitely readable and relatable。 You are going to want to contact her with hopes of being her friend。 I have read hundreds of books。 The only other author who I wanted to befriend as quickly as Catherine Price is Mary Roach。 Kind， hilarious， witty， intellectuals with a desire to improve other people's lives。Honestly， this is one of my favorite reads and will certainly be on my end of year recommendation list。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0