Laurie Gets a Fun-tervention (Part One)
Dr. Laurie Santos, a happiness expert, embarks on a "fun-tervention" with journalist Catherine Price, author of The Power of Fun, to rediscover fun in adult life. They explore the science of fun, defining it by playfulness, connection, and flow, and discuss practical steps like noticing "delights" to combat distraction and improve well-being.
Deep Dive Analysis
15 Topic Outline
Childhood Peter Pan Obsession and Adult Fun Struggles
The Genesis of a "Fun-tervention"
Catherine Price's Journey to Rediscovering Fun
Unexpected Benefits of Prioritizing Fun
The Problem with How We Define "Fun"
Catherine Price's Three Components of "True Fun"
Understanding Playfulness and its Health Benefits
The Role of Connection in Experiencing Fun
Distinguishing True Flow from Junk Flow
Distraction as a Major Barrier to Fun
Action Item: Practicing Noticing "Delights"
Poet Ross Gay on the Power of Delights
Ross Gay's Rules for His Delight Project
The Transformative Effects of Noticing Delights
Host's Initial Experience with the Delight Practice
7 Key Concepts
Sunday Neurosis
A term coined by Viktor Frankl, described as when the internal void within us becomes manifest, often experienced when one has free time but doesn't know what to do with it, leading to a feeling of existential emptiness.
True Fun
Defined by Catherine Price as the confluence of three elements: playfulness, connection, and flow. It is an active state that makes you feel alive and engaged, rather than passive or zoned out.
Playfulness
A core component of true fun, described as a feeling of being free from the normal responsibilities of life. It involves a carefree spirit, not caring too much about the outcome, and being intrinsically motivated to do something just for its own sake.
Connection
A component of true fun, referring to the feeling of social togetherness and a sense that we are sharing experiences with those around us. This social interaction is consistently shown to increase positive mood and improve mental health.
Flow
A state of true immersion, first studied by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, that comes when we engage in a challenging activity. It's the feeling of being so present and passionately involved in something that time just starts flying by.
Junk Flow
A state distinct from true flow, characterized by being hypnotized or zoned out, often while staring at a screen like a phone. In this state, time passes, but one is not fully present and typically doesn't feel good afterward.
Delights
Small, beautiful, funny, or otherwise deeply pleasurable things that one notices in the world. Actively seeking and savoring these moments can train attention, attract more fun, and foster gratitude.
9 Questions Answered
No, it is possible to rediscover how to have fun by actively prioritizing a childlike sense of goofiness and adventure, even with adult responsibilities and a busy schedule.
Pursuing fun can make you happier, more productive, lower stress hormones like cortisol, potentially improve long-term physical health, and provide a greater sense of meaning in life.
There is very little scholarly or scientific research into fun because there isn't a good working definition for it, making it difficult for academics to study systematically.
True fun is the combination of playfulness (a carefree spirit, intrinsically motivated), connection (social togetherness and shared experiences), and flow (deep immersion in a challenging activity).
Studies show that people who play more often are less susceptible to chronic conditions like dementia and heart disease, and playfulness is linked to increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that promotes nerve growth.
True flow is an active state of deep immersion and presence in a challenging activity, while junk flow is a passive state of being hypnotized or zoned out, often by screens, which doesn't leave you feeling good or present.
Distraction, particularly from smartphones and constant notifications, is a major "fun killer" because it pulls you out of the present experience and contributes to feeling time-famished and stressed.
One effective practice is to actively look for "delights" – small, beautiful, funny, or deeply pleasurable things in the world – and savor them, which trains attention and fosters playfulness, connection, and presence.
Noticing delights makes days more playful, fosters a sense of connection when shared with others, increases presence and flow, and can build resilience and a deep sense of gratitude even amidst sorrow.
19 Actionable Insights
1. Cultivate True Fun Elements
To experience true fun, seek out activities that embody a confluence of three key elements: playfulness, connection with others, and a state of flow where you are fully immersed.
2. Effort Towards Enjoyable Fun
Reorienting your life towards more fun requires effort, but this effort should feel interesting and curious, not like work; if it starts to feel like a chore, you are on the wrong path.
3. Assess True Fun Feelings
Don’t casually accept activities as “fun”; instead, critically investigate how they truly make you feel emotionally and physically to determine if they genuinely contribute to your well-being.
4. Embrace Playful Spirit
Actively seek ways to integrate more playfulness into your life, adopting a carefree spirit where you don’t overthink outcomes and are intrinsically motivated, as this is beneficial for both mental and physical health.
5. Prioritize Social Connection
Actively choose activities that involve social togetherness and shared experiences with others, as connection is a key component of true fun and is scientifically proven to boost positive mood and mental health.
6. Distinguish True Flow from Junk
Actively engage in challenging activities that lead to “true flow,” where you are fully present and passionately involved, and distinguish this from “junk flow” which involves passive zoning out, often in front of screens, and doesn’t lead to true fun.
7. Minimize Distraction for Fun
Recognize that distraction, particularly from constant smartphone notifications and checking, is a major fun killer because it pulls you out of the present moment; actively work to minimize these distractions.
8. Break Distraction-Stress Cycle
Understand that constant distraction contributes to feeling time-famished and stressed, which in turn increases distractibility; actively work to break this negative feedback loop.
9. Actively Seek Daily Delights
Adopt the practice of actively looking for “delights” – small, naturally appealing things that make you feel good – to train your brain to focus on positive experiences and reduce distraction.
10. Replace Phone with Curiosity
Instead of habitually checking your phone while walking around, intentionally cultivate a curious mindset and actively look around for hidden delights, as training your attention this way quickly yields positive results.
11. Simplified Daily Delight Practice
To make the “delight” practice more manageable, aim to find at least one delight per day, spending only a few seconds to quickly jot it down, or simply acknowledge it mentally if you’re feeling overwhelmed.
12. Daily Delight Journaling Rules
If you decide to document your delights, commit to a daily practice, write your observations by hand, and complete them quickly, such as drafting each entry within 30 minutes.
13. Share Delights for Connection
Actively share the delightful things you notice with others, as this practice can foster a sense of connection, kinship, and amplify the joy derived from those experiences.
14. Train Brain for Resilience
Consistently train your brain to notice positive things and blessings in the world, as this practice can build resilience and allow you to perceive good even amidst profound sorrow or challenging circumstances.
15. Cultivate Deep Gratitude
Actively cultivate a deep sense of gratitude for the universe and the blessings within it, as this can lead to profound well-being and emotional experiences.
16. Integrate Fun for Productivity
Deliberately schedule and take breaks for activities that you find fun, as this can lead to returning to tasks feeling more refreshed, generating more ideas, and ultimately increasing productivity while reducing burnout.
17. Pursue Fun for Meaning
Commit to pursuing more fun in your life to cultivate a sense of meaning and ensure you feel truly alive, rather than regretting not having lived fully at the end of your life.
18. Cultivate Screen-Life Balance
To find true happiness, actively work on developing a better balance between your screen time and other aspects of life, as excessive screen use can detract from well-being.
19. Avoid Forcing Fun
Do not try to strong-arm your brain into enjoying something you don’t like, or repeatedly tell yourself you’re having fun if you’re not, as this approach is unlikely to lead to genuine enjoyment.
7 Key Quotes
I'm just sitting here waiting for dinner, which really means I'm just waiting to die.
Catherine Price
So what I found counterintuitively is actually carving out space for this supposedly frivolous pursuit of fun actually ended up not just making me happier, but made me more productive.
Catherine Price
I don't want to end up at my deathbed feeling like I never lived. And I think that, and I know that for me, fun is the path that is making me feel that although death is inevitable, at least I am living.
Catherine Price
What I call true fun is the confluence of playfulness, connection, and flow.
Catherine Price
If you're having fun, you're not going to want to be on your phone. Like, it's just not appealing. You don't have to use willpower. You just don't want to do it because it's less fun than whatever else you're doing.
Catherine Price
My eyes were on for delight. That's it. My eyes were on for delight.
Ross Gay
In the midst of profound sorrow, there's like eight purple things that bloom in May. It's ridiculous.
Ross Gay
2 Protocols
Ross Gay's Delight Project Rules
Ross Gay- Do it every day.
- Write by hand.
- Write them quickly (drafted all in 30 minutes).
Host's Adapted Delight Practice
Dr. Laurie Santos- Find one delight a day.
- Take no more than a few seconds to scribble something about that delight down on paper.
- If feeling really overwhelmed on a particular day, just notice the delight without writing anything.