Psychology

The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again

The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-01-21 08:52:05
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Catherine Price
  • ISBN：1787635937
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Summary

From the bestselling author of HOW TO BREAK UP WITH YOUR PHONE

''A practical， evidence-backed plan for how to create True Fun in our lives， and an argument that fun isn''t optional， but essential。'' Charles Duhigg， author of bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better
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When did you last feel exhilarated and lighthearted？ When were you last engaged， focused and completely present？ When is the last time you felt fully alive？

In other words， when did you last have fun？

In our always-on， tech-addicted lifestyles， we often think of the pursuit of fun as an indulgence。 When we do find time to relax， we often turn to activities that are not actually that enjoyable， let alone fun: bingeing on television and movies， doomscrolling the news， or feeding our FOMO on social media。

But award-winning science journalist Catherine Price has learned the truth: far from being frivolous， fun is the key to living a more meaningful， fulfilling and happier life。 If you make fun a priority， you will be healthier and have more energy。 You will be more productive， less resentful and less stressed。 You will find community and a sense of purpose。 You will stop languishing and start flourishing。 And best of all？ You''ll enjoy the process。

In The Power of Fun， Price argues that fun will lead to the happiness we so desperately seek， and includes a practical plan for how to incorporate more fun into our daily lives。 Ground-breaking， eye-opening and packed with useful advice， The Power of Fun won''t just change the way you think about fun。 It will bring you back to life。
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''Inspirational， funny， research-packed and full of practical strategies。。。 The Power of Fun is a game-changer。'' Arianna Huffington， founder and CEO， Thrive Global

''Sharp， entertaining and persuasive。。。 an essential guide for anyone who can''t quite remember what it''s like to experience joy。'' Laurie Santos， host of The Happiness Lab podcast

''The Marie Kondo of Brains。'' New York Times

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Reviews

Laura Foster ，

This book was indeed a fun read， and I think most people would enjoy it， but for me it wasn't one of those that falls into the category of "everyone should read this"， which I think was it's aim。 This book was indeed a fun read， and I think most people would enjoy it， but for me it wasn't one of those that falls into the category of "everyone should read this"， which I think was it's aim。 。。。more

Alissa ，

I appreciated the research combined with practical suggestions on what to actually do to create conditions for fun。 Just having a definition for true fun is helpful。 Great first book for everyday reading book club

Miranda ，

I’ve had a hard time rating this book because while I thought about it a lot， it also put me to sleep。 Multiple times。 And I just feel like a book that is about fun should not make you fall asleep。 Still， it left me with a lot to think about and question so I’ll give it a three。 But I might also pick it up if I’m having a hard time going to bed at night。

Rose Mary Rinkevich ，

Didn't get to finish this book before the library returned。 Expect it back in 10 week。 UGH！ Didn't get to finish this book before the library returned。 Expect it back in 10 week。 UGH！ 。。。more

Allison Berkowitz ，

The writer was smart and fun， but in the place I’m at （holed up trying to keep my 2 y/o free from COVID， working from home， etc。）， I just couldn’t get into it rn。 I love fun and found this book aspirational （I should probably return to it in an year or two） but my reality feels so far from it， I didn’t find it very helpful at this time。

Abigail ，

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Randee Wells ，

Meh。 This book had some really great nuggets。 Some inspiring moments and ah-has！ But overall kind of meh for me。 But then again I feel like I have a really fun life。 So I didn’t get too much out of it other than validation that I have a really fun life。

Tina ，

Self help， perfect for the new year， and left me with a lot to think about。 My copy is full of dog-eared pages and lots of sentences underlined。

Erica ，

This was a fun one！ It felt like most self help books， where it served as a good reminder for things I already knew。 But I liked the writing and her experiences！

Bryndee Jones ，

This isn't the kind of book I usually pick up， but I'm so glad I did。 Fascinating， and it feels a little bit life changing。 This isn't the kind of book I usually pick up， but I'm so glad I did。 Fascinating， and it feels a little bit life changing。 。。。more

Lidja ，

Wow。 Who knew that analyzing fun would be such a buzzkill。 Now we know。

Mary ，

The Power of Fun is definitely a topic I can support。 Price makes a great case for finding fun and including fun in your life。 I appreciated the definition of true fun and am excited to implement those ideas in future activity planning。 I feel like each chapter went on a bit too long which made about half of the book seem a little less than fun。

Christie Bane ，

This was really a 3。5 star read for me， but I was bored through most of it and really only had one “Ah-ha” moment when I read that， in order to become a more fun person， you try to develop a “Yes， and…” reaction to things people do and say， like they do in improv。 I picture this as being: someone makes a statement （for example a dog handler saying “My dog is dumb，” and I respond with “Yes， and yet you’re still in class to work with him！” Other than that， I felt like much of this book was kind of This was really a 3。5 star read for me， but I was bored through most of it and really only had one “Ah-ha” moment when I read that， in order to become a more fun person， you try to develop a “Yes， and…” reaction to things people do and say， like they do in improv。 I picture this as being: someone makes a statement （for example a dog handler saying “My dog is dumb，” and I respond with “Yes， and yet you’re still in class to work with him！” Other than that， I felt like much of this book was kind of scolding society in general for being so connected to our phones。 （Not that that will stop me from reading her other book about how to break up with your phone… as I type this review from the toilet。） Anyway， according to this book， the three elements of fun are playfulness， connection， and flow， and according to that definition， I never have fun， so maybe that’s why I wasn’t crazy about the book！ 。。。more

Carrie Jacobs ，

Interesting。

Barbara ，

After a personal and persuasive look at today’s tech-addicted lifestyle in the prologue， author Catherine Price takes us through a detailed and wide-ranging look at the role of fun in the lives of many Americans。 Through a look at scientific studies and personal anecdotes， she differentiates between what she calls “True Fun” and “Fake Fun。” She adamantly makes her case for the necessity of the presence of three components – playfulness， connection， and flow， in order for an activity to qualify a After a personal and persuasive look at today’s tech-addicted lifestyle in the prologue， author Catherine Price takes us through a detailed and wide-ranging look at the role of fun in the lives of many Americans。 Through a look at scientific studies and personal anecdotes， she differentiates between what she calls “True Fun” and “Fake Fun。” She adamantly makes her case for the necessity of the presence of three components – playfulness， connection， and flow， in order for an activity to qualify as “True Fun。” Among a number of pluses， Price speaks to a valuable message on screen time， and， although it is not new， puts it into a more current context。 It’s also not surprising that Price， as a science journalist， documents the many benefits of “true fun” ranging from physical， mental and intellectual and includes a number of ways to build it into our everyday lives。 The book is detailed and well documented （I actually spent some time enjoying her notes。） It’s too bad that her passion for the subject often comes across as prescriptive。 The end result is actually a bit depressing rather than uplifting。 Unfortunately， in my opinion， there is a critical omission。 Even though she acknowledges （particularly in her notes） the rise of loneliness and isolation， there is little of substance on the subject。 She includes a section on the “value of solitary pursuits” but it is remarkably short and lacks detail。 According to Price， in order to have “True Fun” you just to have to “figure out a way” to include a sense of connection。 I am puzzled and very disappointed by this seemingly patronizing dismissal of a very real and relevant issue。 （To be fair， there is a possibility that this oversight was corrected in another version or perhaps I missed it somewhere else in the book。） The bottom line though is that the handling of this point remains a sticking point for me。FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Tiffany ，

3。5 🌟

Pamela ，

terrific read to shift perspective。 will now use as a sort of workbook

Cynthia ，

I would have rated this book with only one star， but I think the author is correct that "our lives are what we pay attention to，" and cellphones often get much more attention than is healthy。 I would have rated this book with only one star， but I think the author is correct that "our lives are what we pay attention to，" and cellphones often get much more attention than is healthy。 。。。more

Jaycee Funk ，

This book was incredibly well researched and thought out， but I do feel like it was a little too “one size fits all。” I guess it can be argued that that is the nature of the beast where self-help books are concerned。 There were multiple times where it felt a little dismissive of how all encompassing mental health issues can be when dealing with feelings of “true fun。” The most eye opening portion of this book for me， was spending less time on “fake fun。” Things such as scrolling social media and This book was incredibly well researched and thought out， but I do feel like it was a little too “one size fits all。” I guess it can be argued that that is the nature of the beast where self-help books are concerned。 There were multiple times where it felt a little dismissive of how all encompassing mental health issues can be when dealing with feelings of “true fun。” The most eye opening portion of this book for me， was spending less time on “fake fun。” Things such as scrolling social media and binge watching TV。 。。。more

Suzanne Tanner ，

I am not naturally what I would consider a "fun" person。 My pleasure priorities in life would be more along the lines of "finding meaning，" or "relaxing/resting，" or "seeking peace。" My husband， on the other hand， definitely prioritizes fun exactly the way Price defines it in this book， so this gave me a lot of insight into him， and also persuaded me that I could probably benefit quite a bit from learning to value fun in this way。 I like Price， might read her other books。 She seems to read a lot I am not naturally what I would consider a "fun" person。 My pleasure priorities in life would be more along the lines of "finding meaning，" or "relaxing/resting，" or "seeking peace。" My husband， on the other hand， definitely prioritizes fun exactly the way Price defines it in this book， so this gave me a lot of insight into him， and also persuaded me that I could probably benefit quite a bit from learning to value fun in this way。 I like Price， might read her other books。 She seems to read a lot of the same authors/thinkers that I do。 But she is also wildly different from me in the things she finds fun， and I struggled to figure out exactly what I find "fun" using her definition。 I want to do a lot more thinking about this。 Another small critique， she doesn't often seem to consider how her advice/perspective might not apply to people in entirely different walks of life or who have less privilege， but I guess not all books have to be universal。 That said， I can think of a lot of people in my life （many other mothers of small children） who I want to shove this book into their hands and say "Yes， you deserve fun in your life too！" Lots to think about here。 。。。more

Vanessa Bohns ，

Catherine Price has a way of waking you up to our modern issues—technology， a constant need for stimulation—in a way that galvanizes you to change without feeling judged。 She previously helped me “break up with my phone，” and with this new book she has helped me figure out what to do with all the time I’mnot spending scrolling。 If you’ve ever experienced a moment of existential dread， felt nostalgic about the carefree days of childhood， or not known what to do with yourself （besides scrolling th Catherine Price has a way of waking you up to our modern issues—technology， a constant need for stimulation—in a way that galvanizes you to change without feeling judged。 She previously helped me “break up with my phone，” and with this new book she has helped me figure out what to do with all the time I’mnot spending scrolling。 If you’ve ever experienced a moment of existential dread， felt nostalgic about the carefree days of childhood， or not known what to do with yourself （besides scrolling through your phone）， you need this book！ 。。。more

Whitney ，

Enjoyed this book。 It encouraged me to seek out new ways to add fun to my life。 And it also made me realize how much fun I already have。

Ashley ，

Mehhhh。 This was a bummer for me。 It had promise - the first few chapters were decent and I very much enjoyed Chapter 2 where she talked about using your phone less to be more present in your life。 However， after that， she lost me。 （I kept at it though， hoping there would be more I'd enjoy like chapter 2 and。。。。 nope）。 Mostly， this book felt really clinical and repetitive。 For a book about how powerful fun supposedly is， it was decidedly un-fun！ The author takes you through a lot of obvious thin Mehhhh。 This was a bummer for me。 It had promise - the first few chapters were decent and I very much enjoyed Chapter 2 where she talked about using your phone less to be more present in your life。 However， after that， she lost me。 （I kept at it though， hoping there would be more I'd enjoy like chapter 2 and。。。。 nope）。 Mostly， this book felt really clinical and repetitive。 For a book about how powerful fun supposedly is， it was decidedly un-fun！ The author takes you through a lot of obvious things such as， "to have more fun， first identify what fun is for you， and who you have fun with。" Um。。。 duh？！ She also advises readers to keep a fun journal or log， but warns you not to make it into work。 And， I'm sorry， how does "logging" fun not become work？！ I will not be logging my fun in a spreadsheet， thank you。 I just don't feel like I need this in my life。 While the concepts around prioritizing fun are mostly sound， and there are probably many adults who could use these reminders， I kind of feel like this could have been distilled down to one blog post instead of a full-length book。 Truly， so much of it was repetitive and said in slightly different ways， 500 times。 The beginning of the book was most helpful and the rest was just filler stuff。 I might check out her book How to Break Up With Your Phone because the concepts she pulled in from that were most helpful to me personally。 2 stars because I really did appreciate the phone stuff！ Other than that， unless you just spend your days with zero room for enjoyment and have no hobbies whatsoever， this book is probably unnecessary。 。。。more

Christine O'Boyle ，

Book Club book。 Started strong and I was actually excited。 Then it went downhill。 Not all people have the same kind of fun and the author made me feel inadequate at times because the things I consider fun are not real fun。 What？

Mariah ，

This book confirmed three things:1。 I am a fun person， glad that is finally official！2。 Intellectualizing fun takes the fun out of fun。3。 Reading about fun is a lot less fun than just going out & creating fun。 😆

Carolyn Forgue Buckingham ，

A little too scientific for me but took away some good nuggets for inspiring me to try new things and reconnect with others。

Amy ，

Reading the Power of Fun was boring， honestly。 I felt like I could have just watched a TED talk on the topic and then used the rest of the time to go do something fun。 The author missed an opportunity to make reading this book a practice in fun。 Instead， it was long chapters quoting books and articles about how to make time for and recognize fun in your life。 To sum it up？ True fun includes playfulness， connection， and flow。 That sentence was repeated dozens of times throughout the book。 I did l Reading the Power of Fun was boring， honestly。 I felt like I could have just watched a TED talk on the topic and then used the rest of the time to go do something fun。 The author missed an opportunity to make reading this book a practice in fun。 Instead， it was long chapters quoting books and articles about how to make time for and recognize fun in your life。 To sum it up？ True fun includes playfulness， connection， and flow。 That sentence was repeated dozens of times throughout the book。 I did like the reminder to find delight in every day and to break up routines with new experiences。 I also liked her thoughts on “fake fun” and getting away from screens。 Still， this book should have been full of tons of ideas to have fun in daily life， rather than wax lengthy on the definition of hobbies， interests， and flow。 。。。more

Hannah Brown ，

THIS WAS AMAZING！！！ Everyone needs to read it。 I read so many incredible books in 2021， I didn’t think I could find amazing life changing books in 2022。 The Power of Fun blew everything out of the water。 I’m so glad I bought my own copy so I can reread it over and over throughout my life。 I loved her journal prompts and ideas throughout the book。 It’s entertaining and soooo relevant for every human being。

Jill ，

I have been persuaded to look for and call out things that bring me delight （the huge leap of growth my sourdough leavens make overnight while I theoretically sleep）， finding a way to being unexpected joy to an ordinary moment （made up a game for my daughter and I to play while waiting for her to get tested for a virus）， ponder on fun magnets in my life （my husband and kids among others）， and so many other small steps to notice and increase fun in my life。 And all of this， not for the sake of fu I have been persuaded to look for and call out things that bring me delight （the huge leap of growth my sourdough leavens make overnight while I theoretically sleep）， finding a way to being unexpected joy to an ordinary moment （made up a game for my daughter and I to play while waiting for her to get tested for a virus）， ponder on fun magnets in my life （my husband and kids among others）， and so many other small steps to notice and increase fun in my life。 And all of this， not for the sake of fun， but for the sake of life！This was so delightfully paced and researched that I was happy to jump on board and begin my own project of finding more joy， more fun， more community effervescence， and more connection。 And also to add confetti to more handwritten letters。 （You have been warned。） 。。。more

Kelly ，

I picked this book up when a blog suggested it as it’s January read。 Self-help books aren’t my normal genre but why not， right？ Overall I thought the book was incredibly boring and repetitive。 Also， very depressing。 What is meant to help you isolate fun in your life becomes a garbled mess that is out of touch with the reality for the average person。 No one has time to analyze their lives on a daily basis and her definition of “True Fun” is heavily subjective。 Most of what Catherine talked about I picked this book up when a blog suggested it as it’s January read。 Self-help books aren’t my normal genre but why not， right？ Overall I thought the book was incredibly boring and repetitive。 Also， very depressing。 What is meant to help you isolate fun in your life becomes a garbled mess that is out of touch with the reality for the average person。 No one has time to analyze their lives on a daily basis and her definition of “True Fun” is heavily subjective。 Most of what Catherine talked about as “True Fun” experiences didn’t resonate with me yet her “Fake Fun” did。 This isn’t a book I would recommend so I am giving it 2 stars。 I finished it， but not without a lot of effort and making myself read the next paragraph 。。。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