The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again
by: Catherine Price (0)
âThis delightful book might just be what we need to start flourishing.ââ#1 New York Times bestselling author Adam Grant
 Journalist and screen/life balance expert Catherine Price argues persuasively that our always-on, tech-addicted lifestyles have led us to obsess over intangible concepts such as happiness while obscuring the fact that real happiness lies in the everyday experience of fun. We often think of fun as indulgent, even immature and selfish. We claim to not have time for it, even as we find hours a day for what Price calls Fake Funâbingeing on television, doomscrolling the news, or posting photos to social media, all in hopes of filling some of the emptiness we feel inside..
In this follow-up to her hit book, How to Break Up with Your Phone, Price makes the case that True Funâwhich she defines as the magical confluence of playfulness, connection, and flowâwill give us the fulfillment we so desperately seek. If you use True Fun as your compass, you will be happier and healthier. You will be more productive, less resentful, and less stressed. You will have more energy. You will find community and a sense of purpose. You will stop languishing and start flourishing. And best of all? Youâll enjoy the process.
Weaving together scientific research with personal experience, Price reveals the surprising mental, physical, and cognitive benefits of fun, and offers a practical, personalized plan for how we can achieve better screen/life balance and attract more True Fun into our daily livesâwithout feeling overwhelmed.
Groundbreaking, eye-opening, and packed with useful advice, The Power of Fun wonât just change the way you think about fun. It will bring you back to life.
The Reviews
Oh my goodness! We are so sorely lacking in this after months of Covid isolation and out-of-control work schedules. If you keep feeling as if there is something lacking in your life and you canât quite put your finger on it, this book is for you. But read it even if you feel like youâre having fun now, you might be surprised.
I always wondered how it was to have fun. With my childhood experiences and challenges growing up, I became overly serious about life and work, leaving me exhausted and anxious. I always turn to books to find the answer that's why I read this book, The Power of Fun by Catherine Price.Price aims to define what is true fun in this book. To illustrate her message, she shared stories of people from different walks of life from the beginning of the book until the last chapter. This is what I noticed about self-help books written by entrepreneurs, advocates, and speakers. They include a lot of studies and anecdotes in addition to their own stories that expand their books to hundreds of pages. I have to push myself to read these stories because I know they could help me understand what the author is trying to say but, honestly, it was not that fun at all. Good thing, I don't give up on books for I know I could learn something from it. The Power of Fun did change the way I look at fun. Price said that true fun is the point where playfulness, connection, and flow meet. She encourages the reader to consider if the activity has these three elements to experience genuine fun. This is the most important message for me. She also has a lot tips on how to have fun and keep at it that I find helpful.I am thankful that I didn't stop reading this book.
(And who else is going to read a book about how to have fun, anyway?)Catherine Price nerds out on fun more deeply than you would have thought possible, and sheâll leave you equipped and inspired to actually, seriously (but not SERIOUSLY seriously) have more fun. Itâs a profound and thoughtful book about a seemingly lighthearted topic. Filled with science and philosophy, original insights, and personal stories to make it relatable.My absolute favorite chapter is Chapter 9, Rebel. Iâll be reading it 29 more times. I had never realized how many of my âtrue funâ experiences have had an aspect of playful or lighthearted rebellion. Against authority, habits, propriety, social norms. My dad and I being chased (but not caught) by police helicopters. My daughter and I being Nighttime Ninja Bunnies, delivering middle of the night Easter baskets to her Jewish friends. My mom on a recent random Thursday walking into our kitchen carrying a cake with massive and dangerous flaming sparklers, singing Happy Thursday to You. The subtler levels of rebellion discussed here are against your own beliefs and standards for yourself. Thatâs what Iâm coming back for.This book will help you find your own true fun so you can have more of it. Iâve begun listening to comedy on my commute (actually laughing by myself) and I just signed up for an improv class. Fun!
I think that this book has the power to cultivate more fun and joy in our lives. Itâs a very easy to read book but it may not always be a very easy to do book. If you get past the chapters on our addiction to technology, then you can glean a lot from what this book has to offer. You will need to do your own reflection and develop some self awareness skills so donât think that after you read this book youâre just gonna become suddenly a more fun lively human being who attracts more fun and interesting experiences into the life. You have to sit down reflect and then curate those opportunities by either reducing the things that are Unfun or by creating some new habits. In essence, this book is motivating you to create a more connected and joyful life by being intentional and thoughtful and how do you use your minutes every day. The author is funny and relatable so itâs a very easy read. Definitely worth the read.
Catherine Price's The Power of Fun is accessible, entertaining, and potentially life-changing. She writes in a way that manages to be both engaging and informative. While many of these concepts may seem familiar to those who enjoy the personal development and self-help genre, Price weaves them together in a way that's wholly unique. She conducted her own research, crafted a definition of "True Fun," and developed tangible, practical strategies for someone who wants to take concrete steps toward having more fun. She also incorporates concepts from her past work about screen/life balance, in a way that's less overwhelming than, say, breaking up with your phone (I own that book too and still haven't gone through with the breakup).I love having fun (and have a pretty good idea of what's actually fun to me), so when my dad saw the title of the book, he said, "You're the last person who needs a book about the power of fun!" But even I got a lot out of this book, and a lot of new ideas about what fun is, why it's vital to flourishing, and how to have more of it. Now I'm trying to get some of my friends to read it so we can start a fun squad!
Catherine Priceâs new book is nothing short of a delight. Price, a serious journalist who doesnât take herself too seriously, has written a book that couldnât 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. Priceâs last book laid out the case for why â and how â 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 doesnât make you feel dead inside. A must read.
For those of us who work too much and are stuck in routines, this book is for you. Fun is what is needed to make life worthwhile and this book will help get you there.
The examples and simple formulas
