The Power of Fun Review
The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again is just what it sounds like: a way to have more fun. The author of this book, Catherine Price, also wrote the book, How to Breakup With You Phone (which will most likely make it on my to be read list next year). In the beginning of the book, she references this other book and says, “Without apps to distract us, we found ourselves with more hours in the day— hours that we were free to use on things that we truly enjoyed” (Page 8). How true is this?! I think we have all read books about this topic by 2026 and the phone still seems to be ruling out lives.
Price talks about how “True Fun is not a scarce resource, accessible to an elite few… True Fun doesn’t require wealth” and “once you realize that accumulating possessions doesn’t lead to fun, you buy fewer things” (Page 15). This is an idea that I want to adapt to more in my own life. When we have less stuff, it seems like there is more time to create joy.
One person that Price writes about in her book said that fun is “a visceral feeling of lightness, where your chest expands and you feel like you could lift off the ground” (Page 31). I would also say there is a greatness of excitement! Fun is allowing yourself to break free from the mundane things in life.
One thing I liked in particular about this book was the importance of having long term memories. She specifically states that “if we don’t have long-term memories, we can’t have insights… because we don’t have information or experiences to connect— it’d be like trying to make a meal from an empty pantry” (Page 82). I love this comparison because I think we all know the struggle of knowing what to make for dinner in general and most of the time, it is not fun, therefore, we should work to create those long-term memories.
The author also mentions that that play impacts the brain’s production of a protein that “stimulates nerve growth in areas of the brain associated with emotional processing and decision-making” (Page 92). So she also goes into how the playfulness factor can benefit our health. People say that it increases “stronger friendships” and “more creativity and zest for life” (Page 92). Some things that we could do to increase play in our lives would be to cultivate more connections with others, spend time outdoors, or even just taking time for some self-care. What are some ways you can think of to create more play in your life? Comment below!
Lastly, I loved this quote that says, “ Good relationships don’t just protect our bodies; they protect our brains” from Robert Waldinger in a TEDx talk. Overall, we will feel more satisfied, “live longer” and have greater happiness (Page 97). I am grateful when I am able and capable of having fun in my life. I may read this book again someday because it was just that good. I felt more rejuvenated from reading about others experiences with True Fun and how that impacts our lives.
I hope you enjoyed this review of one of my favorite self-help books yet! Happy Reading! 😆
