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August 12th, 2024 by Janet Chen
In the book, “The Fun Habit: How the Pursuit of Joy and Wonder Can Change Your Life,” Mike Rucker Ph.D. encourages people to have more fun. He says that people underestimate the importance of fun. They think fun is a waste of time or something you do after finishing work. He suggests that fun is essential for good mental and physical health. He also thinks that fun improves relationships and job productivity.
In our society, children can play and have fun. However, as we age, we have responsibilities and don’t take the time for fun. This lack of fun or playfulness can lead to burnout.
According to Rucker there is an urgent need to focus on having fun. In 2022 the American Psychological Association conducted a poll and found that 27% of Americans say the are so stressed they can’t function. The poll also indicated that 46% of younger people up to age 35 are experiencing stress to the point of not being able to cope or function.
Rucker encourages people to focus on time affluence rather than money. He says many people are concerned about not having enough money or they try to obtain too much money. He believes a positive shift is to control our time. Ultimately, we want to have time for fun which will make us happier.
People also need to add variety to their lives. We need to break the cycle of monotony that comes with routine. Adding new activities or varying the way we do things can go a long way toward improving our mental health.
We need to develop realistic actionable plans on building fun into our lives. We can decide what we enjoy doing and think is fun. Then work on adjusting these things or developing a new habit and making it fun. Dr. Rucker provides additional ideas for doing this in the book.
Rucker encourages people to develop a “sense of awe” about the world. Realizing that there is a larger world that we can focus on sometime makes our problems seem less significant. Also having gratitude for others or pleasurable things in life can help us feel happier.
For more information about this topic, please read The Fun Habit by Dr. Rucker.
