Catherine Price – The Power of Fun

THE POWER OF FUN

If you’re not having fun, you’re not fully living. The author of How to Break Up with Your Phone makes the case that, far from being frivolous, fun is the key to a happy and healthy life, and actually critical to our well-being.

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 Fun—bingeing on television, doomscrolling the news, or posting photos to social media, all in hopes of filling some of the emptiness we feel inside. Proper work-life balance requires just as much life as work, and life requires fun. If you’re not having fun, you’re not fully living.

True Fun, which Price defines as the magical confluence of playfulness, connection, and flow, will 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? You’ll enjoy the process. Described by the New York Times’ review as “An antidote to all the darkness... a guide to tapping into true fun”, The Power of Fun has received plaudits and praise from Price’s peers as well.

Arianna Huffington, publisher and founder & CEO of Thrive Global, said “The Power of Fun is a game-changer”. “Inspirational, funny, research-packed and full of practical strategies, it inspires us to move fun to the top of our priority list and rethink the way we allocate our time.” While best-selling author of Think Again and Give and Take, Adam Grant said “If you feel like modern adulthood has sucked the fun out of your life, you’ll find hope in these pages. “With clarity and levity, Catherine Price illuminates why our days are so dull - and how we can have more play and more joy. In a time when so many of us are languishing, this delightful book might just be what we need to start flourishing.”

Weaving together scientific research with personal experience, Price reveals the surprising mental, physical, and cognitive benefits of fun, and offers a practical, personalised plan for how we can achieve better screen/life balance and attract more True Fun into our daily lives, without feeling overwhelmed.

Groundbreaking, 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. And isn’t that what we’re all striving for?

Molly Robbins - Clinical Psychologist

Molly’s daughter expressing joy in the moment

Most of us aim to feel happy and, typically, the more someone strives for a goal the more likely they are to reach it right? Well, not so for happiness. Mounting evidence suggests that the more you value happiness, the less happy you are. Moreover, researchers have found the intense pursuit for happiness can have negative consequences in both the short and long term. Happiness is an emotional state like joy, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfilment. Emotional states are temporary in nature and subject to change. Sustained happiness, on the other hand, stems from a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in life. This is an enduring state of mind that allows us to experience pleasure in daily life, as well as the ability to engage meaningfully in our life and the lives of others.

The study of happiness has uncovered factors that affect how happy we

Build sustained happiness through acceptance

are, influencing how psychologists understand and treat mental health problems and placing more emphasis on self-awareness, regulation, acceptance, mindfulness, and connectedness.

The good news is that your capacity for happiness can grow through a-c-c-e-p-t-a-n-c-e:

A - Attention Notice experiences in your mind and body. Negative thoughts and sensations alert you to an issue needing attention. Body Scans can help build awareness. C - Create Create space to pause and take two elongated breaths. Self-regulation brings our nervous system back to balance. Mindful breathing is an effective tool.

C - Choose Choose to engage mindfully, like immersing yourself in the environment with this mindful activity: Notice 5 things you can see, 4 you hear, 3 you touch, 2 you smell, 1 you taste. E - Embrace Embrace the beauty, joy, and kindness in life. Tuning into these experiences fosters gratitude. Record your gratitude daily. P - Practice Optimism grows happiness. Practice thinking differently, using positive selftalk, rational thinking, distraction, and letting go. T - Temporary Emotional states are temporary. Learn to accept distress and hurt, and take time to sit with emotions. Turning inwards builds self-acceptance. A - Accept Learn how to accept yourself and life in the present moment without judgement. You have no control over the past but can influence here and now.

N - Nurture Self-compassion builds acceptance and connection. Nurture yourself in small ways, often. C - Cultivate Cultivate a meaningful life. Engage wholeheartedly in activities aligned with your values, talents, and joys. E - Empathy Show empathy and kindness for others. Strong connections build support, selfacceptance and a sense of belonging.

Ramsay Psychology Southport

Ramsay Psychology’s team provide support for a wide range of mental health concerns experienced by children, adolescents, adults and older persons. Our psychologists are experienced in helping clients develop tools and strategies to cope with life events and manage mental health conditions or symptoms such as:

• Depression & Anxiety • Burn-out & stress • Trauma & post-traumatic stress • Substance misuse & addictions • Antenatal/postnatal depression & anxiety • Interpersonal difficulties • Child behaviour • Personality disorders • Adjustment concerns