The Fun Habit
How the Pursuit of Joy and Wonder Can Change Your Life
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
Discover compelling scientific evidence for the value of fun - and of how having more of it will help you achieve better work-life balance, reduce stress and much more.
Doesn’t it seem that the more we seek happiness, the more elusive it becomes?
There is an easy fix, hiding in plain sight. Fun is an action you can take here and now, practically anywhere, anytime. There is a multitude of research that proves how beneficial fun is to our pysical and psychological well-being, yet all too often, its absence from our modern lives is striking. Whether you’re a frustrated high-achiever trying to find a better work-life balance or someone simply seeking relief from life’s overwhelming challenges, it's time to look into fun as a solution. The Fun Habit is the ultimate guide to reaping the serious benefits of fun.
Drawing on cutting edge research, accessible science, and practical recommendations, Dr Mike Rucker explains how you can build having fun into an actionable and effortless habit and why doing so will help you become healthier, joyful and more productive.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Society has now devalued fun and leisure so much it's significantly harming us," suggests psychologist Rucker in this cheerful debut trumpeting the importance of joy. The author provides strategies for "adding novel, pleasurable activities into your daily life" and equips readers with "scientific evidence for the life-sustaining value and importance of fun." For example, Rucker recommends readers prioritize time over money, citing a study that found doing so made subjects happier, and he discusses the neurology behind emotional contagion to explain why hanging around friends with positive dispositions is likely to be more fun. To cultivate a fun mindset, Rucker advises making time for pleasure; creating a "fun file" of enjoyable activities; joining clubs, communities, and causes; and taking photos to extend "fun's power beyond the moment it occurs." The scientific grounding behind the suggestions impresses, and Rucker's stance that negative emotions are unavoidable and necessary adds nuance and guards against what he calls "toxic positivity." This is a fittingly entertaining guide.
