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 actually critical to our well-being—and shows us how to have more of it. “This delightful book might just be what we need to start flourishing.”—#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 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. In this follow-up to her hit book, How to Break Up with Your Phone, Price makes the case that True Fun—which she 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. 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 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.

Buy now to get the main key ideas from Catherine Price's The Power of Fun When was the last time you felt truly exhilarated, unjudged, and completely absorbed in the present? For many people, these freeing and invigorating moments are infrequent. In The Power of Fun (2021), screen/life balance expert Catherine Price redefines fun, challenges its trivialization, explores its advantages, and offers practical steps to overcome technology’s addictive grip. By rediscovering play, we can enhance our overall well-being.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 Fun is a difficult word to define. We often use the word to describe any activity that we perceive as unrelated to work. But this use of fun categorizes activities more by what they are not than by the specific characteristics that they share. #2 The word fun is extremely elusive, and yet we all know what it feels like. It is a biological drive to seek it out, and yet it resists all analysis. #3 I analyzed my own experiences through the lens of positive psychology to identify possible elements that might be definitional to the experience of True Fun. I then asked people to describe a fun event or experience they would love to organize or be a part of in the future. #4 Fun is the feeling you get when you’re doing something you enjoy. It is a combination of laughter and creation and celebration. It is unadulterated joy, and it is imprinted on my DNA.

When did you last feel exhilarated and light-hearted? When did you last feel fully alive? When did you last have fun? In our always-on, tech-addicted lifestyles, the pursuit of fun has become an indulgence. We have forgotten how to relax. Award-winning science journalist Catherine Price argues that fun is the key to living a more meaningful, fulfilling and happier life. If you prioritize fun, you will- * Be healthier, less stressed and have more energy. * Find community and a sense of purpose. * Stop languishing and start flourishing. And best of all? You'll enjoy yourself! Ground-breaking, eye-opening and packed with useful advice, The Power of Fun won't just change the way you think, it will bring you back to life.

Using scientific evidence, real-world case studies, and a healthy dose of wit, this book shows that a regular respite is like a little oasis in your workday as it refreshes, reinvigorates, and recharges your batteries-helping you accomplish more with less effort. --

Drawing on the tools of game design to fix democracy. Anyone who has ever been to a public hearing or community meeting would agree that participatory democracy can be boring. Hours of repetitive presentations, alternatingly alarmist or complacent, for or against, accompanied by constant heckling, often with no clear outcome or decision. Is this the best democracy can offer? In Making Democracy Fun, Josh Lerner offers a novel solution for the sad state of our deliberative democracy: the power of good game design. What if public meetings featured competition and collaboration (such as team challenges), clear rules (presented and modeled in multiple ways), measurable progress (such as scores and levels), and engaging sounds and visuals? These game mechanics would make meetings more effective and more enjoyable—even fun. Lerner reports that institutions as diverse as the United Nations, the U.S. Army, and grassroots community groups are already using games and game-like processes to encourage participation. Drawing on more than a decade of practical experience and extensive research, he explains how games have been integrated into a variety of public programs in North and South America. He offers rich stories of game techniques in action, in children's councils, social service programs, and participatory budgeting and planning. With these real-world examples in mind, Lerner describes five kinds of games and twenty-six game mechanics that are especially relevant for democracy. He finds that when governments and organizations use games and design their programs to be more like games, public participation becomes more attractive, effective, and transparent. Game design can make democracy fun—and make it work.