1
00:00:15,476 --> 00:00:29,356
Speaker 1: Pushkin, Oh Hannah Montana, Oh Wiley Cyris.

2
00:00:29,876 --> 00:00:32,276
Speaker 2: I recently had a fun afternoon in the studio with

3
00:00:32,356 --> 00:00:37,516
Speaker 2: members of a Massachusetts running club. Oh Hot, Ryan Gosling.

4
00:00:37,796 --> 00:00:40,356
Speaker 2: I don't often have this much fun during the recording session,

5
00:00:40,676 --> 00:00:43,476
Speaker 2: but having fun was actually the topic we'd all gathered

6
00:00:43,516 --> 00:00:46,516
Speaker 2: to discuss. You see, even though they started out as

7
00:00:46,516 --> 00:00:48,956
Speaker 2: a running club, the members have started to meet for

8
00:00:49,036 --> 00:00:52,276
Speaker 2: some very different activities. Inspired by something I talked about

9
00:00:52,316 --> 00:00:53,116
Speaker 2: on the Happiness Lab.

10
00:00:53,236 --> 00:00:55,516
Speaker 3: I remember in your podcast you were saying, like, I'm

11
00:00:55,556 --> 00:00:57,756
Speaker 3: a fun person, but I don't really have that much fun.

12
00:00:57,876 --> 00:01:00,956
Speaker 2: This is Natalie Robinson, and she could totally relate to

13
00:01:01,036 --> 00:01:03,276
Speaker 2: the lack of fun I was experiencing in my life.

14
00:01:03,356 --> 00:01:05,556
Speaker 3: When the kids were little, it was so easy to

15
00:01:05,556 --> 00:01:06,956
Speaker 3: have fun, like you take them to the zoo, you

16
00:01:06,956 --> 00:01:09,396
Speaker 3: take them to the water park, and then when they

17
00:01:09,476 --> 00:01:13,636
Speaker 3: get older, there's less things to do that are that

18
00:01:13,796 --> 00:01:17,316
Speaker 3: pure fun. And so when we heard your podcast, we

19
00:01:17,356 --> 00:01:19,516
Speaker 3: were like, yeah, are we fun? Like do we even

20
00:01:19,556 --> 00:01:21,956
Speaker 3: have fun anymore? Like, let's have more fun.

21
00:01:22,476 --> 00:01:24,476
Speaker 2: Natalie told the rest of her running club about what

22
00:01:24,516 --> 00:01:27,036
Speaker 2: she'd heard on the Happiness Lab that you could inject

23
00:01:27,076 --> 00:01:29,556
Speaker 2: playfulness and fun back into life with a little bit

24
00:01:29,596 --> 00:01:33,036
Speaker 2: of deliberate effort, and so they got together and planned

25
00:01:33,076 --> 00:01:36,756
Speaker 2: fun interventions or what I called in the podcast funter Ventionance.

26
00:01:37,036 --> 00:01:41,956
Speaker 3: Scavenger Hunt was definitely a lot of playfulness, like because

27
00:01:41,996 --> 00:01:44,556
Speaker 3: we engaged with the public like we had to. Like

28
00:01:44,876 --> 00:01:47,076
Speaker 3: I remember like one of them was like pretending you're

29
00:01:47,116 --> 00:01:49,196
Speaker 3: a dock and you have to cluck around people.

30
00:01:49,396 --> 00:01:51,436
Speaker 4: That was the most playful.

31
00:01:51,596 --> 00:01:54,516
Speaker 2: The runners of Franklin, Massachusetts are a great group of friends,

32
00:01:54,756 --> 00:01:57,556
Speaker 2: and they're having an absolute blast with their funter Ventionance.

33
00:01:58,156 --> 00:02:00,156
Speaker 2: If you want to hear their tips for having more fun,

34
00:02:00,476 --> 00:02:03,516
Speaker 2: go back and check out our last episode right now, though,

35
00:02:03,596 --> 00:02:05,516
Speaker 2: I want to give you an opportunity to hear the

36
00:02:05,516 --> 00:02:08,756
Speaker 2: episodes that inspired Natalie and her running friends. It's a

37
00:02:08,756 --> 00:02:11,276
Speaker 2: two part show and a very personal story of how

38
00:02:11,276 --> 00:02:13,156
Speaker 2: I realized I'd let the fund drain out of my

39
00:02:13,196 --> 00:02:15,756
Speaker 2: life and vowed to regain some of the playfulness of

40
00:02:15,756 --> 00:02:16,396
Speaker 2: my childhood.

41
00:02:16,436 --> 00:02:18,196
Speaker 5: Don't you know, I just can't.

42
00:02:19,476 --> 00:02:22,036
Speaker 2: But I should warn you now the podcast does contain

43
00:02:22,196 --> 00:02:23,116
Speaker 2: my attempts at singing.

44
00:02:26,756 --> 00:02:38,636
Speaker 5: I hope you still enjoy it anyway.

45
00:02:41,756 --> 00:02:44,316
Speaker 2: I'm about to watch a VHS tape that I haven't

46
00:02:44,316 --> 00:02:48,916
Speaker 2: seen for more than thirty five years. It's the dress

47
00:02:48,956 --> 00:02:50,836
Speaker 2: rehearsal of a play I took part in when I

48
00:02:50,876 --> 00:02:53,756
Speaker 2: was ten years old, the nineteen eighty five New Bedford

49
00:02:53,796 --> 00:02:57,476
Speaker 2: High School Drama Club's performance of Peter Pan the Musical.

50
00:03:01,436 --> 00:03:03,636
Speaker 2: My mom somehow finagled a way for me to audition,

51
00:03:04,276 --> 00:03:07,316
Speaker 2: even though I was only in fourth grade and I

52
00:03:07,356 --> 00:03:11,716
Speaker 2: didn't really know how to act, saying or dance. But

53
00:03:11,796 --> 00:03:15,116
Speaker 2: I got to star as the rabbit. If you've seen

54
00:03:15,156 --> 00:03:18,036
Speaker 2: the play and don't remember a rabbit being involved, that

55
00:03:18,196 --> 00:03:20,796
Speaker 2: is because, as far as I can tell, the rabbit

56
00:03:20,916 --> 00:03:23,316
Speaker 2: is not an actual role in Peter Pan the Musical.

57
00:03:24,036 --> 00:03:27,036
Speaker 2: I think the directors just made it up. My entire

58
00:03:27,076 --> 00:03:29,716
Speaker 2: part involved hanging out on the back of the stage silently,

59
00:03:30,316 --> 00:03:34,036
Speaker 2: pretty much blending into the Neverland background. Why would any

60
00:03:34,076 --> 00:03:36,956
Speaker 2: self respecting high school drama teacher go to all that

61
00:03:37,076 --> 00:03:40,316
Speaker 2: trouble for a talentless ten year old kid. I think

62
00:03:40,356 --> 00:03:43,356
Speaker 2: it's because after meeting me, they couldn't really say no.

63
00:03:44,236 --> 00:03:47,516
Speaker 2: You see, back then, I was obsessed with Peter Pan.

64
00:03:48,116 --> 00:03:50,236
Speaker 2: My family had the album, which I had worn out

65
00:03:50,276 --> 00:03:52,996
Speaker 2: by listening to it over and over and over again.

66
00:03:53,836 --> 00:03:56,316
Speaker 2: Our home movies are filled with me forcing my older

67
00:03:56,356 --> 00:04:00,276
Speaker 2: cousins to take part in impromptu performances, always with me

68
00:04:00,476 --> 00:04:10,956
Speaker 2: playing Peter Pan Love. When I was four, my mom

69
00:04:11,036 --> 00:04:13,836
Speaker 2: left my newborn brother at home in Massachusetts to take

70
00:04:13,876 --> 00:04:16,756
Speaker 2: me to Broadway to see the play. My mom says

71
00:04:16,796 --> 00:04:18,636
Speaker 2: that when I got back to the hotel, I spent

72
00:04:18,676 --> 00:04:22,076
Speaker 2: the entire night jumping between the room's two beds, claiming

73
00:04:22,116 --> 00:04:23,996
Speaker 2: that I was flying to Neverland so that I could

74
00:04:24,036 --> 00:04:26,876
Speaker 2: have fun and stay a kid forever, just like Peter Pan.

75
00:04:32,556 --> 00:04:35,916
Speaker 2: I distinctly remember my mom's reaction that night, as I

76
00:04:35,996 --> 00:04:39,956
Speaker 2: was jumping from mattress to mattress. She couldn't hold back tears.

77
00:04:40,516 --> 00:04:42,836
Speaker 2: When I was a kid, I never really understood why,

78
00:04:43,556 --> 00:04:46,836
Speaker 2: But rewatching the musical as an adult, I finally got

79
00:04:46,876 --> 00:04:50,236
Speaker 2: what made my mom sob If you haven't seen the musical,

80
00:04:50,356 --> 00:04:53,436
Speaker 2: the plot involves Peter Pan taking Wendy to Neverland to

81
00:04:53,476 --> 00:04:57,636
Speaker 2: have a bunch of adventures think pirates, lost boys, all

82
00:04:57,676 --> 00:05:00,916
Speaker 2: that stuff. But eventually Wendy wants to go back to

83
00:05:00,956 --> 00:05:03,756
Speaker 2: her normal life, so Peter takes her back to London

84
00:05:03,956 --> 00:05:06,556
Speaker 2: and promises he'll come get her for more adventures soon.

85
00:05:06,996 --> 00:05:08,916
Speaker 2: But when Peter finally returns at the end of the

86
00:05:09,876 --> 00:05:13,476
Speaker 2: He's devastated. Even though Wendy promised she'd never get older,

87
00:05:13,876 --> 00:05:18,396
Speaker 2: she accidentally grew up, and Peter can't believe it. He

88
00:05:18,476 --> 00:05:20,756
Speaker 2: tells middle aged Wendy that she's not allowed to go

89
00:05:20,836 --> 00:05:24,476
Speaker 2: back to Neverland and have fun ever again, because she's

90
00:05:24,476 --> 00:05:31,956
Speaker 2: too grown up. Watching the play in my forties wasn't

91
00:05:31,996 --> 00:05:34,396
Speaker 2: as fun as doing so as a kid. In a

92
00:05:34,476 --> 00:05:36,916
Speaker 2: turn of events that would surely be mind blowing to

93
00:05:36,956 --> 00:05:40,916
Speaker 2: my ten year old self, I have gotten old, like

94
00:05:40,996 --> 00:05:43,556
Speaker 2: middle aged Wendy. I now have a job and a

95
00:05:43,596 --> 00:05:48,116
Speaker 2: mortgage and responsibilities to worry about. Even though I clearly

96
00:05:48,156 --> 00:05:52,396
Speaker 2: plan to prioritize having fun forever, that didn't really happen.

97
00:05:53,116 --> 00:05:55,316
Speaker 2: These days, I don't have time to jump around on

98
00:05:55,356 --> 00:05:58,956
Speaker 2: mattresses or lead fake musical sing alongs with my cousins.

99
00:05:59,516 --> 00:06:02,036
Speaker 2: Most of my days are so busy it doesn't feel

100
00:06:02,076 --> 00:06:05,156
Speaker 2: like I have time for any fun at all, And

101
00:06:05,196 --> 00:06:10,356
Speaker 2: that realization is pretty depressing and kind of ironic, because

102
00:06:10,516 --> 00:06:13,476
Speaker 2: I used to pride myself on being fun. My grad

103
00:06:13,516 --> 00:06:16,236
Speaker 2: school roommates and I through goofy theme parties several times

104
00:06:16,276 --> 00:06:19,156
Speaker 2: a year. My husband and I won our engagement ring

105
00:06:19,276 --> 00:06:22,356
Speaker 2: playing ski ball and a cheesy beach arcade that was

106
00:06:22,436 --> 00:06:26,116
Speaker 2: literally called the fun o Rama. I used to have

107
00:06:26,236 --> 00:06:31,276
Speaker 2: a lot of fun, but lately not so much. I

108
00:06:31,316 --> 00:06:34,276
Speaker 2: haven't thrown a ridiculous party in some time, and I

109
00:06:34,276 --> 00:06:37,436
Speaker 2: haven't been back to that beach arcade in years. In fact,

110
00:06:37,596 --> 00:06:40,676
Speaker 2: full disclosure, the last time my husband and I did visit,

111
00:06:41,076 --> 00:06:43,316
Speaker 2: I secretly hit outside while he was wrapped up in

112
00:06:43,356 --> 00:06:48,836
Speaker 2: some pinball game and answered by work emails. So what happened?

113
00:06:49,316 --> 00:06:51,316
Speaker 2: Am I as doomed as middle aged when he was

114
00:06:51,356 --> 00:06:54,356
Speaker 2: in that musical? Are we all destined to miss out

115
00:06:54,356 --> 00:06:57,596
Speaker 2: on fun as an inevitable part of getting older? Or

116
00:06:57,596 --> 00:07:00,676
Speaker 2: are there ways to prioritize a childlike sense of goofiness

117
00:07:00,676 --> 00:07:04,276
Speaker 2: and adventure well into our later years. In this first

118
00:07:04,356 --> 00:07:07,756
Speaker 2: ever double episode of the Happiness Lab, we'll learn that

119
00:07:07,876 --> 00:07:10,276
Speaker 2: it is possible to read discover how to have fun,

120
00:07:10,916 --> 00:07:13,956
Speaker 2: and our evidence will come not just from the scientific literature,

121
00:07:14,356 --> 00:07:17,716
Speaker 2: but from a much more personal experiment, because over the

122
00:07:17,756 --> 00:07:20,436
Speaker 2: next two shows, I will become the subject of a

123
00:07:20,516 --> 00:07:26,076
Speaker 2: fun intervention or fun prevention for sure, and my unorthodox

124
00:07:26,076 --> 00:07:29,316
Speaker 2: attempt at finding more fun, which spoiler is going to

125
00:07:29,316 --> 00:07:33,476
Speaker 2: involve inflatable microphones, cats on leashes, tomatoes on planes and

126
00:07:33,596 --> 00:07:36,676
Speaker 2: in New England surfing safari. We'll wind up having a

127
00:07:36,796 --> 00:07:40,356
Speaker 2: much bigger effect on my and other people's happiness than

128
00:07:40,396 --> 00:07:46,556
Speaker 2: I ever ever expected. Our minds are constantly telling us

129
00:07:46,556 --> 00:07:48,516
Speaker 2: what to you to be happy. But what if our

130
00:07:48,556 --> 00:07:51,356
Speaker 2: minds are wrong? What if our minds are lying to us,

131
00:07:51,516 --> 00:07:53,716
Speaker 2: leading us away from what will really make us happy.

132
00:07:54,316 --> 00:07:56,516
Speaker 2: The good news is that understanding the science of the

133
00:07:56,556 --> 00:07:58,796
Speaker 2: mind can point us all back in the right direction.

134
00:07:59,716 --> 00:08:07,716
Speaker 2: You're listening to the Happiness Lab for doctor Laurry Sanders.

135
00:08:09,156 --> 00:08:12,156
Speaker 2: The idea for my funtervention came one summer morning when

136
00:08:12,196 --> 00:08:14,956
Speaker 2: I was engaged in a not very fun one might

137
00:08:14,996 --> 00:08:18,716
Speaker 2: even say soul sucking activity. I was checking and then

138
00:08:18,756 --> 00:08:23,636
Speaker 2: immediately rechecking my email. Refreshing your inbox when you know

139
00:08:23,756 --> 00:08:26,316
Speaker 2: there's probably nothing new is kind of like when you

140
00:08:26,356 --> 00:08:29,236
Speaker 2: look in the fridge over and over, pathetically hoping there'll

141
00:08:29,276 --> 00:08:33,076
Speaker 2: be something else to eat. Embarrassingly, I often find myself

142
00:08:33,076 --> 00:08:36,316
Speaker 2: doing this whenever I'm bored or avoiding some writing project

143
00:08:36,316 --> 00:08:40,516
Speaker 2: that feels hard. And that's when it happened. A new

144
00:08:40,556 --> 00:08:44,556
Speaker 2: email did appear, one with an innocuous subject.

145
00:08:44,156 --> 00:08:46,116
Speaker 4: Line, will you help me with my next book? I

146
00:08:46,116 --> 00:08:47,116
Speaker 4: promise it will be fun.

147
00:08:47,516 --> 00:08:49,676
Speaker 2: It was a newsletter from one of my favorite past

148
00:08:49,756 --> 00:08:54,636
Speaker 2: podcast guests, the journalist Catherine Price. Catherine's the author of

149
00:08:54,676 --> 00:08:57,276
Speaker 2: How to Break Up with Your Phone. In the book,

150
00:08:57,396 --> 00:09:00,036
Speaker 2: she argues that we'll only find true happiness if we

151
00:09:00,116 --> 00:09:03,076
Speaker 2: put some work into developing a better screen life balance.

152
00:09:03,916 --> 00:09:06,676
Speaker 2: Catherine would definitely not be a fan of the fact

153
00:09:06,676 --> 00:09:09,676
Speaker 2: that I was sitting there refreshing my inbox, so I

154
00:09:09,756 --> 00:09:12,396
Speaker 2: was already feeling a little called out when I received

155
00:09:12,396 --> 00:09:15,956
Speaker 2: her message, But as I read on, that feeling got

156
00:09:16,036 --> 00:09:16,756
Speaker 2: even worse.

157
00:09:17,196 --> 00:09:19,236
Speaker 4: Dear friends, I'm at work on a new book, and

158
00:09:19,276 --> 00:09:21,436
Speaker 4: I'm writing to ask for your help. The book is

159
00:09:21,476 --> 00:09:24,996
Speaker 4: about fun. More specifically, I'm writing about how, far from

160
00:09:25,076 --> 00:09:28,276
Speaker 4: being frivolous, having fun is absolutely essential to a joyful

161
00:09:28,316 --> 00:09:29,356
Speaker 4: and meaningful life.

162
00:09:29,716 --> 00:09:32,036
Speaker 2: The book Catherine was working on seemed to be tapping

163
00:09:32,036 --> 00:09:34,756
Speaker 2: into the very thing that I and so many other

164
00:09:34,796 --> 00:09:37,236
Speaker 2: people were missing out on in adult life.

165
00:09:37,556 --> 00:09:39,876
Speaker 4: I'm hoping you can help me out. I'm recruiting a

166
00:09:39,916 --> 00:09:42,276
Speaker 4: global group of people that I'm calling the Fun Squad.

167
00:09:42,636 --> 00:09:44,396
Speaker 4: My hope is that in addition to helping me with

168
00:09:44,436 --> 00:09:46,316
Speaker 4: the book, you'll also get to experience some of the

169
00:09:46,356 --> 00:09:47,956
Speaker 4: benefits of fun for yourselves.

170
00:09:48,236 --> 00:09:51,276
Speaker 2: I knew I needed it, so sheepishly I signed up

171
00:09:51,436 --> 00:09:54,276
Speaker 2: which hot tip you can too by visiting how to

172
00:09:54,356 --> 00:09:58,156
Speaker 2: Have fun dot com. It did feel a little pathetic

173
00:09:58,236 --> 00:10:01,716
Speaker 2: to reveal that I, a supposed happiness expert, was struggling

174
00:10:01,796 --> 00:10:04,396
Speaker 2: to have fun, but I figured it was just some

175
00:10:04,476 --> 00:10:07,876
Speaker 2: anonymous form. It wasn't like Catherine herself was going to

176
00:10:07,876 --> 00:10:09,516
Speaker 2: be looking at which people sawn up.

177
00:10:11,956 --> 00:10:15,076
Speaker 4: Oh no, Hi, Laurie. First of all, I am so

178
00:10:15,116 --> 00:10:17,076
Speaker 4: psyched to see that you signed up for the Fun Squad.

179
00:10:17,156 --> 00:10:19,036
Speaker 4: It's been such a pleasure to follow your work and

180
00:10:19,076 --> 00:10:21,076
Speaker 4: get to be a guest in the podcast. I love

181
00:10:21,116 --> 00:10:22,876
Speaker 4: your tone and approach, and I feel like we're very

182
00:10:22,956 --> 00:10:24,956
Speaker 4: kindred spirits, which is part of the reason I'm so

183
00:10:25,116 --> 00:10:27,476
Speaker 4: especially excited to have you as part of the Fun Squad.

184
00:10:28,076 --> 00:10:31,036
Speaker 2: Crap, Well, the first step is admitting you have a problem,

185
00:10:31,116 --> 00:10:35,836
Speaker 2: I guess, so I wrote back and tried to be honest. Hey, Catherine,

186
00:10:35,876 --> 00:10:37,916
Speaker 2: your Fun Squad is coming at a time in which

187
00:10:37,956 --> 00:10:40,756
Speaker 2: I'm personally taking a hard look at what leisure looks

188
00:10:40,796 --> 00:10:43,596
Speaker 2: like in my life. I'm embarrassed at how little time

189
00:10:43,636 --> 00:10:46,516
Speaker 2: I spend taking part in fun, so it's something I'm

190
00:10:46,516 --> 00:10:50,076
Speaker 2: thinking about a lot. I hit send and then worried

191
00:10:50,116 --> 00:10:53,996
Speaker 2: that Catherine would immediately revoke my fun Squad privileges. But

192
00:10:54,196 --> 00:10:56,716
Speaker 2: when we chatted over Zoom soon after that, I was

193
00:10:56,756 --> 00:10:59,516
Speaker 2: shocked at how well she understood the difficulty I was having.

194
00:11:00,116 --> 00:11:02,356
Speaker 2: Turns out that Catherine had gone through the same sort

195
00:11:02,396 --> 00:11:05,596
Speaker 2: of existential crisis that I was experiencing.

196
00:11:05,436 --> 00:11:08,156
Speaker 4: When I was writing How To Break Up With Your Phone.

197
00:11:08,236 --> 00:11:10,596
Speaker 4: I was doing this practice where my husband and I

198
00:11:10,636 --> 00:11:12,836
Speaker 4: were taking these twenty four hour breaks from our screens,

199
00:11:13,036 --> 00:11:16,156
Speaker 4: and there was this one day where I was totally

200
00:11:16,236 --> 00:11:19,316
Speaker 4: alone in the house and I had this hour in

201
00:11:19,356 --> 00:11:21,676
Speaker 4: front of me to do whatever I wanted to do

202
00:11:21,836 --> 00:11:25,876
Speaker 4: with but without my phone or any screen to spend

203
00:11:25,916 --> 00:11:28,476
Speaker 4: time on. I realized I actually could not think of

204
00:11:28,556 --> 00:11:31,396
Speaker 4: a single thing I wanted to do. And I freaked

205
00:11:31,436 --> 00:11:34,356
Speaker 4: out because in my head, I thought to myself, oh wow,

206
00:11:34,436 --> 00:11:37,196
Speaker 4: I'm just sitting here waiting for dinner, which really means

207
00:11:37,196 --> 00:11:38,196
Speaker 4: I'm just waiting to die.

208
00:11:38,916 --> 00:11:41,956
Speaker 2: The realization that she didn't have anything she wanted to

209
00:11:41,996 --> 00:11:45,436
Speaker 2: do shook Catherine to the core. She realized that she

210
00:11:45,596 --> 00:11:48,476
Speaker 2: was going through what author Victor Frankel referred to as

211
00:11:48,636 --> 00:11:50,156
Speaker 2: the Sunday neurosis.

212
00:11:50,796 --> 00:11:53,116
Speaker 4: It's something like when the internal void within us becomes

213
00:11:53,156 --> 00:11:56,236
Speaker 4: manifest And I was like, oh, well it was Saturday,

214
00:11:56,436 --> 00:11:58,996
Speaker 4: but yes, that's what happened.

215
00:11:59,436 --> 00:12:02,396
Speaker 2: But Catherine decided to do something about the existential void

216
00:12:02,476 --> 00:12:05,716
Speaker 2: she was feeling. She asked herself, what's one thing you

217
00:12:05,836 --> 00:12:08,076
Speaker 2: say you want to do but you supposedly don't have

218
00:12:08,156 --> 00:12:11,436
Speaker 2: time for. Her answer was that she always wanted to

219
00:12:11,476 --> 00:12:14,756
Speaker 2: learn how to play guitar. She remembered seeing a flyer

220
00:12:14,756 --> 00:12:17,276
Speaker 2: in her neighborhood for a music school with adult classes,

221
00:12:17,476 --> 00:12:21,236
Speaker 2: and immediately signed up. That decision would change her life.

222
00:12:21,516 --> 00:12:23,636
Speaker 4: It was magical, and I was having this kind of

223
00:12:23,716 --> 00:12:27,596
Speaker 4: euphoria and this sense of freedom and this sense of joy.

224
00:12:28,276 --> 00:12:30,836
Speaker 4: And part of it was that I was learning a

225
00:12:30,876 --> 00:12:32,956
Speaker 4: new skill like that was great. But I started to

226
00:12:32,996 --> 00:12:35,236
Speaker 4: realize that that was not all that was happening. There

227
00:12:35,316 --> 00:12:37,996
Speaker 4: was something much bigger happening. I was having fun with

228
00:12:38,076 --> 00:12:41,436
Speaker 4: these people, and that really got me started on this

229
00:12:42,156 --> 00:12:45,236
Speaker 4: investigation into what is fun? What is this feeling? And

230
00:12:45,276 --> 00:12:48,036
Speaker 4: then most importantly, how can I have more of it?

231
00:12:48,076 --> 00:12:50,116
Speaker 4: Because I wanted more of that feeling.

232
00:12:50,396 --> 00:12:53,156
Speaker 2: Four years later, Catherine is now an expert on the

233
00:12:53,196 --> 00:12:56,076
Speaker 2: Science of Fun. She's just written a new book called

234
00:12:56,236 --> 00:12:58,876
Speaker 2: The Power of Fun, How to Feel Alive Again.

235
00:12:59,556 --> 00:13:02,196
Speaker 4: I cannot tell you how much joy I have found

236
00:13:02,276 --> 00:13:06,236
Speaker 4: through this pursuit of fun. Realizing the value of fun

237
00:13:06,356 --> 00:13:10,396
Speaker 4: and defining it more concretely for myself has completely changed

238
00:13:10,436 --> 00:13:12,396
Speaker 4: the way I think about how I spend my time.

239
00:13:12,796 --> 00:13:15,436
Speaker 4: I don't think I had any idea how many benefits

240
00:13:15,476 --> 00:13:17,356
Speaker 4: there would be to pursuing fun. I just thought it

241
00:13:17,356 --> 00:13:20,356
Speaker 4: would be fun, you know. And so I've been shocked,

242
00:13:20,436 --> 00:13:24,156
Speaker 4: pleasantly shocked to recognize the changes it's made in these

243
00:13:24,236 --> 00:13:25,796
Speaker 4: other areas of my life.

244
00:13:26,236 --> 00:13:30,676
Speaker 2: One of those areas, ironically enough, involved improving her productivity

245
00:13:30,756 --> 00:13:31,316
Speaker 2: at work.

246
00:13:31,596 --> 00:13:34,316
Speaker 4: I started to realize that my brain could only think

247
00:13:34,436 --> 00:13:37,076
Speaker 4: and produce creative thoughts very certain number of hours a day,

248
00:13:37,116 --> 00:13:39,156
Speaker 4: which what I was doing with the other time was

249
00:13:39,276 --> 00:13:41,036
Speaker 4: churning and I was answering my email. I was just

250
00:13:41,076 --> 00:13:43,676
Speaker 4: doing stuff to make myself feel busy. What I found

251
00:13:43,756 --> 00:13:46,036
Speaker 4: is that if I take a break, if I deliberately

252
00:13:46,076 --> 00:13:48,716
Speaker 4: take breaks to do one of these other activities that

253
00:13:48,796 --> 00:13:51,316
Speaker 4: fall much more into this fun category for me, I

254
00:13:51,396 --> 00:13:55,036
Speaker 4: returned to whatever my task had been much more refreshed,

255
00:13:55,276 --> 00:13:58,716
Speaker 4: with more ideas and without this sense of burnout. So

256
00:13:58,756 --> 00:14:02,236
Speaker 4: what I found, counterintuitively is actually carving out space for

257
00:14:02,356 --> 00:14:06,116
Speaker 4: this supposedly frivolous pursuit of fun actually ended up not

258
00:14:06,196 --> 00:14:08,476
Speaker 4: just making me happier, but made me more productive.

259
00:14:09,196 --> 00:14:13,436
Speaker 2: Research shows that fun also has physical health benefits. For example,

260
00:14:13,556 --> 00:14:16,436
Speaker 2: it can lower cortisol, a bodily stress hormone.

261
00:14:16,596 --> 00:14:18,756
Speaker 4: Again, we just think it's frivolous. So if I said

262
00:14:18,756 --> 00:14:21,076
Speaker 4: to you, like fun, my lower risk of a heart attack,

263
00:14:21,116 --> 00:14:22,956
Speaker 4: you'd look at me like I was crazy. But if

264
00:14:22,956 --> 00:14:25,356
Speaker 4: you think about what physiological state we're in when we

265
00:14:25,396 --> 00:14:27,916
Speaker 4: are having fun, it is a low stress state. We

266
00:14:27,996 --> 00:14:31,676
Speaker 4: are not stressed out and we are fully present, and

267
00:14:31,716 --> 00:14:35,716
Speaker 4: there is plenty of research showing that that is very

268
00:14:35,716 --> 00:14:38,876
Speaker 4: good for our health. So I personally think it's fascinating

269
00:14:38,916 --> 00:14:41,876
Speaker 4: to consider that the pursuit of fun over the long

270
00:14:41,956 --> 00:14:45,036
Speaker 4: run may actually be affecting the hormonal balance in our

271
00:14:45,036 --> 00:14:47,916
Speaker 4: bodies in a way that is enormously beneficial for our

272
00:14:47,956 --> 00:14:50,796
Speaker 4: long term physical health, in addition to making us feel

273
00:14:50,836 --> 00:14:52,196
Speaker 4: really good when we do it.

274
00:14:52,916 --> 00:14:56,076
Speaker 2: Committing to pursuing more fun has also given Catherine a

275
00:14:56,116 --> 00:14:56,836
Speaker 2: sense of meaning.

276
00:14:57,476 --> 00:15:00,516
Speaker 4: I don't want to end up at my deathbed, feeling

277
00:15:00,596 --> 00:15:02,436
Speaker 4: like I never lived. And I think that and I

278
00:15:02,516 --> 00:15:04,716
Speaker 4: know that for me, fun is the path that is

279
00:15:04,756 --> 00:15:09,716
Speaker 4: making me feel that although death is inevitable, at least.

280
00:15:10,156 --> 00:15:12,876
Speaker 2: Hearing Catherine talk about the vast benefits of fun was

281
00:15:12,916 --> 00:15:16,596
Speaker 2: making me feel really jealous. I wanted to feel alive

282
00:15:16,636 --> 00:15:20,556
Speaker 2: again too. It felt like a rock bottom moment. I

283
00:15:20,676 --> 00:15:24,116
Speaker 2: was in total fun crisis. So I asked Catherine if

284
00:15:24,116 --> 00:15:27,596
Speaker 2: she'd helped me out. Luckily, she was up for the challenge.

285
00:15:28,556 --> 00:15:29,836
Speaker 2: So I'm not a lost cause.

286
00:15:30,156 --> 00:15:32,916
Speaker 4: You are not a lost cause. I would dare say

287
00:15:33,516 --> 00:15:39,516
Speaker 4: I'm even having fun right now too. Writing it right,

288
00:15:40,116 --> 00:15:41,596
Speaker 4: give yourself a golden star already.

289
00:15:43,036 --> 00:15:45,676
Speaker 2: My fun Prevention will shift into high gear when the

290
00:15:45,676 --> 00:15:46,876
Speaker 2: Happiness Lab returns.

291
00:15:46,956 --> 00:15:57,476
Speaker 4: In a moment. I absolutely love swing dancing. I've always

292
00:15:57,556 --> 00:15:59,916
Speaker 4: loved swing, Nancy. I think it is so fun. And

293
00:15:59,956 --> 00:16:02,196
Speaker 4: if you watch people's swing dancing like that's fun.

294
00:16:02,636 --> 00:16:06,316
Speaker 2: Author and fun expert Catherine Price began my Funtervention with

295
00:16:06,396 --> 00:16:10,036
Speaker 2: some tips about what not to do, calling one of

296
00:16:10,076 --> 00:16:12,236
Speaker 2: her more unfortunate swing dance partners.

297
00:16:12,716 --> 00:16:16,116
Speaker 4: This poor guy was so stiff, and I just heard

298
00:16:16,196 --> 00:16:18,356
Speaker 4: him talking to himself and he was just going, I'm

299
00:16:18,396 --> 00:16:20,756
Speaker 4: having fun because this is fun, because this is fun,

300
00:16:20,836 --> 00:16:23,756
Speaker 4: because we're having fun over and over again to himself

301
00:16:23,796 --> 00:16:26,676
Speaker 4: and needless to say, I don't think he was having fun.

302
00:16:26,916 --> 00:16:28,636
Speaker 4: You don't want that. That's not our goal here.

303
00:16:30,316 --> 00:16:33,556
Speaker 2: The good news is that Catherine's funtervention would not involve

304
00:16:33,596 --> 00:16:36,356
Speaker 2: me gritting my teeth and strong arming my brain into

305
00:16:36,396 --> 00:16:39,916
Speaker 2: trying to enjoy something I totally hated. But there was

306
00:16:39,956 --> 00:16:43,196
Speaker 2: also bad news. Finding more fun in my life was

307
00:16:43,196 --> 00:16:46,036
Speaker 2: going to take some time, effort, and soul searching.

308
00:16:46,716 --> 00:16:49,636
Speaker 4: Are there things that you should do and try if

309
00:16:49,636 --> 00:16:52,916
Speaker 4: you want to reorient towards fun. Yes, you're gonna have

310
00:16:52,956 --> 00:16:54,716
Speaker 4: to put some effort into this, but it doesn't have

311
00:16:54,756 --> 00:16:57,756
Speaker 4: to be effort that feels un fun. If it starts

312
00:16:57,756 --> 00:17:00,236
Speaker 4: to feel like work at any time, then you're on

313
00:17:00,276 --> 00:17:01,956
Speaker 4: the wrong path. Like you don't want this to feel

314
00:17:01,956 --> 00:17:03,996
Speaker 4: like work, but you do want it to feel like, Oh,

315
00:17:04,156 --> 00:17:08,396
Speaker 4: this is interesting. I'm curious about this. I'm enjoying this process.

316
00:17:08,636 --> 00:17:09,596
Speaker 4: That's what our goal is.

317
00:17:10,036 --> 00:17:13,756
Speaker 2: Part of that curiosity involves overcoming the misconceptions that so

318
00:17:13,836 --> 00:17:17,636
Speaker 2: many of us have about what actually feels fun. As

319
00:17:17,676 --> 00:17:20,516
Speaker 2: we chatted, I realized I often use the term fun

320
00:17:20,796 --> 00:17:23,476
Speaker 2: when I don't really mean it, like what a fun

321
00:17:23,516 --> 00:17:26,916
Speaker 2: dinner party, when in reality I couldn't wait to get home.

322
00:17:27,716 --> 00:17:30,836
Speaker 2: I've even wielded the words that was so fun to

323
00:17:30,916 --> 00:17:33,636
Speaker 2: describe an at best meh zoom meeting.

324
00:17:34,556 --> 00:17:37,996
Speaker 4: We use fun very casually and sloppily, and that leaves

325
00:17:38,076 --> 00:17:41,236
Speaker 4: us vulnerable to being manipulated by anyone who tells us

326
00:17:41,236 --> 00:17:44,756
Speaker 4: their product or service is fun. We will say, oh, yeah,

327
00:17:44,756 --> 00:17:46,316
Speaker 4: I'll do that because it's for fun, Because we just

328
00:17:46,356 --> 00:17:49,476
Speaker 4: think anything we don't do for work or leisure time

329
00:17:49,476 --> 00:17:52,036
Speaker 4: it must be fund But if you actually think about

330
00:17:52,076 --> 00:17:55,116
Speaker 4: the things that you're doing for fun and then investigate

331
00:17:55,156 --> 00:17:57,476
Speaker 4: how it's making you feel emotionally and physically, you may

332
00:17:57,596 --> 00:18:00,356
Speaker 4: realize that it's not actually making you feel it that good.

333
00:18:00,676 --> 00:18:03,396
Speaker 2: When Catherine began the research for her Power of Fun book,

334
00:18:03,796 --> 00:18:06,796
Speaker 2: her first task was to define this elusive concept.

335
00:18:07,236 --> 00:18:10,036
Speaker 4: We don't have a good working definition of what fun is,

336
00:18:10,596 --> 00:18:14,076
Speaker 4: and as a result, we don't take it seriously. There

337
00:18:14,116 --> 00:18:16,356
Speaker 4: are is very little scholarly work that's been done, or

338
00:18:16,396 --> 00:18:19,116
Speaker 4: academic work or scientific research into fun, because I mean

339
00:18:19,196 --> 00:18:20,716
Speaker 4: makes sense. How are you going to study something if

340
00:18:20,716 --> 00:18:22,196
Speaker 4: you don't have a definition for it.

341
00:18:22,756 --> 00:18:25,796
Speaker 2: I did my own literature search and Catherine's right. There's

342
00:18:25,876 --> 00:18:29,116
Speaker 2: lots of scientific work on happiness, but there are surprisingly

343
00:18:29,156 --> 00:18:32,516
Speaker 2: few papers on fun. If you do the Standards Scientific

344
00:18:32,596 --> 00:18:35,356
Speaker 2: Database search for the word fun, one of the top

345
00:18:35,436 --> 00:18:38,996
Speaker 2: hits is a paper entitled putting the Fun in Fungui

346
00:18:39,516 --> 00:18:41,196
Speaker 2: toenail oncomcosis.

347
00:18:41,676 --> 00:18:43,156
Speaker 4: Not fun, not fun at all.

348
00:18:43,716 --> 00:18:46,476
Speaker 2: And so to develop her own definition of fun, Catherine

349
00:18:46,476 --> 00:18:49,556
Speaker 2: called upon her Fun Squad, that group of one thousand

350
00:18:49,676 --> 00:18:51,956
Speaker 2: or so people like me who'd signed up to help

351
00:18:51,996 --> 00:18:54,876
Speaker 2: out with her new book. Catherine asked the fun Squad

352
00:18:54,996 --> 00:18:57,556
Speaker 2: to describe their own experiences with fun.

353
00:18:58,036 --> 00:19:01,356
Speaker 4: I think I had a very technical way of phrasing

354
00:19:01,356 --> 00:19:03,076
Speaker 4: the question, which is basically like, tell me about three

355
00:19:03,076 --> 00:19:05,436
Speaker 4: times that you would describe as so fun.

356
00:19:06,636 --> 00:19:10,396
Speaker 2: She got back hundreds of examples. People talked about memories

357
00:19:10,476 --> 00:19:13,556
Speaker 2: of squishing mud through their toes, or playing drums with

358
00:19:13,596 --> 00:19:17,516
Speaker 2: their grandkids, or church dances, or playing fetch with a

359
00:19:17,556 --> 00:19:21,476
Speaker 2: particularly cute dog, or summer days on the lake laughing

360
00:19:21,516 --> 00:19:26,116
Speaker 2: with friends. Catherine was surprised by how vary the experiences were,

361
00:19:26,756 --> 00:19:29,956
Speaker 2: but also that these very different examples seem to touch

362
00:19:29,996 --> 00:19:32,636
Speaker 2: on the same three themes over and over again.

363
00:19:33,396 --> 00:19:36,716
Speaker 4: What I call true fun is the confluence of playfulness,

364
00:19:36,836 --> 00:19:38,196
Speaker 4: connection and flow.

365
00:19:38,556 --> 00:19:42,956
Speaker 2: Playfulness, connection and flow. Let's look first at playfulness, which

366
00:19:42,996 --> 00:19:45,596
Speaker 2: Catherine describes as a feeling of being out of the

367
00:19:45,636 --> 00:19:47,556
Speaker 2: normal responsibilities of life.

368
00:19:47,796 --> 00:19:49,556
Speaker 4: You don't have to actually be playing in the way

369
00:19:49,596 --> 00:19:51,356
Speaker 4: of like playing a board game or playing with a child,

370
00:19:51,436 --> 00:19:53,836
Speaker 4: but a playful spirit. You don't care too much about

371
00:19:53,836 --> 00:19:56,476
Speaker 4: the outcome. You're carefree. You're doing it just for the

372
00:19:56,516 --> 00:19:59,516
Speaker 4: sake of doing it, and it's very intrinsically motivating. But

373
00:19:59,596 --> 00:20:01,956
Speaker 4: you can bring a playful spirit to things that you

374
00:20:01,996 --> 00:20:04,436
Speaker 4: wouldn't think are play You can have a playful spirit

375
00:20:04,516 --> 00:20:07,436
Speaker 4: and engage in play at work, for example. So we

376
00:20:07,476 --> 00:20:12,156
Speaker 4: shouldn't be so strict about what we consider potentially playful.

377
00:20:12,436 --> 00:20:15,276
Speaker 2: We should, however, be strict about making sure we find

378
00:20:15,316 --> 00:20:18,796
Speaker 2: ways to get more playfulness in our lives, especially if

379
00:20:18,876 --> 00:20:21,756
Speaker 2: we care about our mental and physical help, because the

380
00:20:21,756 --> 00:20:25,076
Speaker 2: science shows that play not only feels nice, it's also

381
00:20:25,116 --> 00:20:28,476
Speaker 2: good for our bodies and our brains. Studies find that

382
00:20:28,516 --> 00:20:31,476
Speaker 2: people who play more often are less susceptible to chronic

383
00:20:31,516 --> 00:20:35,316
Speaker 2: conditions like dementia and heart disease. There's also evidence that

384
00:20:35,356 --> 00:20:38,556
Speaker 2: playfulness is linked with increases in what's known as brain

385
00:20:38,636 --> 00:20:42,716
Speaker 2: derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that's linked to nerve growth.

386
00:20:43,796 --> 00:20:46,676
Speaker 2: This connection between play and brain development is one of

387
00:20:46,716 --> 00:20:49,156
Speaker 2: the reasons that many animals seem to play so much

388
00:20:49,196 --> 00:20:52,116
Speaker 2: in childhood, the very time in which we grow the

389
00:20:52,156 --> 00:20:56,196
Speaker 2: most new neural tissue. The second component of fun is

390
00:20:56,236 --> 00:20:59,356
Speaker 2: something we talk about a lot on the Happiness Lab connection,

391
00:21:00,076 --> 00:21:02,956
Speaker 2: that feeling of social togetherness and a sense that we're

392
00:21:02,996 --> 00:21:06,956
Speaker 2: sharing experiences with those around us. When Catherine surveyed her

393
00:21:06,956 --> 00:21:09,636
Speaker 2: fun squad, she found that nearly all of their examples

394
00:21:09,676 --> 00:21:13,236
Speaker 2: of true fun involved activities done with other people.

395
00:21:13,676 --> 00:21:15,916
Speaker 4: And that was true even for introverts. A number of

396
00:21:15,956 --> 00:21:18,756
Speaker 4: people actually said they were surprised because they were a

397
00:21:18,756 --> 00:21:21,876
Speaker 4: self described introvert, and yet the experiences they described to

398
00:21:21,916 --> 00:21:22,956
Speaker 4: me allhead other people.

399
00:21:23,596 --> 00:21:26,236
Speaker 2: Connection is one of the big reasons that fun feels

400
00:21:26,236 --> 00:21:29,756
Speaker 2: so good. Study after study shows that being around other

401
00:21:29,796 --> 00:21:33,236
Speaker 2: people increases our positive mood and improves our mental health.

402
00:21:34,156 --> 00:21:37,636
Speaker 2: One famous well being study even concluded that spending time

403
00:21:37,636 --> 00:21:40,836
Speaker 2: with others was a necessary condition for high happiness.

404
00:21:41,356 --> 00:21:45,556
Speaker 4: Fun definitely helps us tap into our shared humanity, which

405
00:21:45,596 --> 00:21:49,236
Speaker 4: is something we do not prioritize, but which is enormously

406
00:21:49,276 --> 00:21:52,196
Speaker 4: important and I think we all know that intuitively, even

407
00:21:52,236 --> 00:21:54,196
Speaker 4: if we haven't thought about it, because that's the drive

408
00:21:54,236 --> 00:21:56,276
Speaker 4: that causes us to do things like spend a lot

409
00:21:56,276 --> 00:21:58,116
Speaker 4: of time in social media.

410
00:21:57,596 --> 00:22:00,076
Speaker 2: And that gets us to the third component of true

411
00:22:00,116 --> 00:22:04,636
Speaker 2: fun flow. Psychologist Mihi Chiek set Me High, the guy

412
00:22:04,636 --> 00:22:07,396
Speaker 2: who first studied flow, defined it as that state of

413
00:22:07,436 --> 00:22:10,756
Speaker 2: true immersion that comes when we engage in a challenging activity.

414
00:22:11,516 --> 00:22:13,796
Speaker 2: Flow is the feeling you get when you're so present

415
00:22:13,916 --> 00:22:17,916
Speaker 2: and passionately involved in something that time just starts flying by,

416
00:22:18,836 --> 00:22:21,516
Speaker 2: but not all time flying by is a good thing.

417
00:22:22,036 --> 00:22:25,636
Speaker 2: Catherine argues that it's important to distinguish between true, honest

418
00:22:25,636 --> 00:22:28,396
Speaker 2: to goodness flow and what Cheek sent Me High called

419
00:22:28,596 --> 00:22:29,196
Speaker 2: junk flow.

420
00:22:30,036 --> 00:22:32,436
Speaker 4: The easiest way to think about it is the difference

421
00:22:32,436 --> 00:22:35,396
Speaker 4: between being engaged and being hypnotized. So anytime you find

422
00:22:35,396 --> 00:22:38,356
Speaker 4: your eyes glazing over and forty five minutes passing and

423
00:22:38,436 --> 00:22:41,116
Speaker 4: you haven't taken a deep breath, that you haven't moved,

424
00:22:41,156 --> 00:22:43,196
Speaker 4: and you're just staring at a screen, the chances are

425
00:22:43,236 --> 00:22:46,036
Speaker 4: your junk flow. And it's very easy to get sucked

426
00:22:46,036 --> 00:22:48,316
Speaker 4: into that and think, Oh, I'm looking at Instagram or

427
00:22:48,356 --> 00:22:50,676
Speaker 4: I'm looking at social media. For fun and oh, I'm

428
00:22:50,716 --> 00:22:52,436
Speaker 4: in a flow state, but then you don't really feel

429
00:22:52,516 --> 00:22:54,516
Speaker 4: very good. That's not what true fun is about at all,

430
00:22:54,716 --> 00:22:57,876
Speaker 4: because true fun, by definition, is an active state. It's

431
00:22:57,916 --> 00:23:00,476
Speaker 4: not about zoning out. If you're zoned out and you're

432
00:23:00,476 --> 00:23:02,316
Speaker 4: not fully present, you're not having true fun.

433
00:23:02,636 --> 00:23:05,956
Speaker 2: That requirement of presents is another reason true fun feels

434
00:23:05,956 --> 00:23:09,396
Speaker 2: so good. The presence we get from fun pursuits also

435
00:23:09,396 --> 00:23:11,956
Speaker 2: protects us from the urge to spend time on devices

436
00:23:11,956 --> 00:23:15,076
Speaker 2: that tend to steal our attention and drain our happiness.

437
00:23:15,516 --> 00:23:17,476
Speaker 4: If you're having fun, you're not gonna want to be

438
00:23:17,556 --> 00:23:19,876
Speaker 4: on your phone like it's just not appealing. You don't

439
00:23:19,916 --> 00:23:21,676
Speaker 4: have to use billpower, you just don't want to do

440
00:23:21,716 --> 00:23:23,836
Speaker 4: it because it's less fun than whatever else you're doing.

441
00:23:24,196 --> 00:23:28,436
Speaker 2: So playfulness, connection, and flow, those are the three ingredients

442
00:23:28,436 --> 00:23:29,836
Speaker 2: of fun that I'll be shooting for.

443
00:23:30,516 --> 00:23:32,756
Speaker 4: If you can have a life that has more playfulness

444
00:23:32,876 --> 00:23:35,796
Speaker 4: or connection or flow, you're probably going to be on

445
00:23:35,836 --> 00:23:37,796
Speaker 4: the right track and in a better place than you

446
00:23:37,836 --> 00:23:40,276
Speaker 4: are now. If you have two of those states at once,

447
00:23:40,476 --> 00:23:42,556
Speaker 4: even better, And if you have all three of them

448
00:23:42,596 --> 00:23:44,756
Speaker 4: at once, I think of it as really being like

449
00:23:44,836 --> 00:23:46,596
Speaker 4: hitting the bulls eye, and you will have a moment

450
00:23:46,636 --> 00:23:48,796
Speaker 4: that I would consider to be true fun.

451
00:23:49,436 --> 00:23:52,516
Speaker 2: The first step of my fundervention would require figuring out

452
00:23:52,556 --> 00:23:55,316
Speaker 2: all the factors that were preventing me from finding that

453
00:23:55,436 --> 00:23:58,716
Speaker 2: bullseye combination of playfulness, connection, and flow.

454
00:23:59,516 --> 00:23:59,716
Speaker 6: Ah.

455
00:23:59,796 --> 00:24:01,316
Speaker 2: Yes, my phone.

456
00:24:01,556 --> 00:24:04,596
Speaker 4: Distraction is like kryptonite to fun. And I can assure

457
00:24:04,636 --> 00:24:06,636
Speaker 4: you that you are certainly not the only person for

458
00:24:06,756 --> 00:24:10,556
Speaker 4: whom distraction is probably the biggest fun killer in your life.

459
00:24:10,996 --> 00:24:14,436
Speaker 4: Because we all have smartphones, and they all have notifications

460
00:24:14,436 --> 00:24:16,716
Speaker 4: that go off all the time, and we've been conditioned

461
00:24:16,756 --> 00:24:18,356
Speaker 4: to want to check them all the time, even if

462
00:24:18,356 --> 00:24:21,116
Speaker 4: they're not notifying us. And anytime you do that, you're

463
00:24:21,116 --> 00:24:24,156
Speaker 4: pulling yourself out of your present experience and mentally checking

464
00:24:24,196 --> 00:24:24,916
Speaker 4: out for a second.

465
00:24:25,236 --> 00:24:28,956
Speaker 2: Catherine noted that distraction was probably also contributing to another

466
00:24:29,036 --> 00:24:32,196
Speaker 2: problem I've discussed before on this podcast that I often

467
00:24:32,196 --> 00:24:35,076
Speaker 2: feel too time famished to do stuff I really enjoy.

468
00:24:35,516 --> 00:24:38,196
Speaker 4: It's all tied together because the distraction that we're all

469
00:24:38,276 --> 00:24:40,676
Speaker 4: encountering all the time is making us feel like we

470
00:24:40,716 --> 00:24:43,396
Speaker 4: don't have much time, which is making us stressed out,

471
00:24:43,396 --> 00:24:45,756
Speaker 4: which is making us more distractable, which is making us

472
00:24:45,796 --> 00:24:46,836
Speaker 4: feel like we have no time.

473
00:24:47,156 --> 00:24:50,316
Speaker 2: Catherine decided that addressing this would be fun prevention action

474
00:24:50,396 --> 00:24:52,876
Speaker 2: item number one. I had to find ways to train

475
00:24:52,956 --> 00:24:56,156
Speaker 2: my brain to be a little less distracted. But since

476
00:24:56,196 --> 00:24:59,036
Speaker 2: this is a fun prevention, Catherine thought I should limit

477
00:24:59,036 --> 00:25:02,956
Speaker 2: my distractions in a way that boosted my playfulness and connection. So,

478
00:25:03,116 --> 00:25:05,596
Speaker 2: rather than focus on avoiding the stuff I shouldn't be

479
00:25:05,636 --> 00:25:09,196
Speaker 2: paying attention to my email and notifications and so on,

480
00:25:09,756 --> 00:25:12,156
Speaker 2: Catherine decided that I should try to focus on more

481
00:25:12,196 --> 00:25:16,156
Speaker 2: attractive stuff, things that naturally make me feel good. She

482
00:25:16,316 --> 00:25:18,596
Speaker 2: suggested trying out a practice that she does with a

483
00:25:18,636 --> 00:25:22,116
Speaker 2: few of her friends, looking for what she calls delights.

484
00:25:22,436 --> 00:25:24,316
Speaker 2: I asked her what she meant by a delight.

485
00:25:24,876 --> 00:25:26,596
Speaker 4: Delight is something that makes you feel delighted.

486
00:25:26,996 --> 00:25:30,876
Speaker 2: Laurie Her version of the practice started when a friend

487
00:25:30,916 --> 00:25:34,356
Speaker 2: recommended a book by the poet Rosque entitled The Book

488
00:25:34,516 --> 00:25:36,716
Speaker 2: of Delights.

489
00:25:35,876 --> 00:25:39,796
Speaker 4: And he wrote an essay every day for a year

490
00:25:40,036 --> 00:25:41,316
Speaker 4: about something that delighted him.

491
00:25:41,836 --> 00:25:45,836
Speaker 2: Catherine copied the idea and found it to be well delightful.

492
00:25:45,636 --> 00:25:47,916
Speaker 4: Savoring like good things in the same way that we

493
00:25:47,996 --> 00:25:50,276
Speaker 4: ruminate about bad things, and I find it's a great

494
00:25:50,276 --> 00:25:52,196
Speaker 4: way to attract more fun into your life.

495
00:25:52,436 --> 00:25:54,676
Speaker 2: It did sound like fun to swish a bunch of

496
00:25:54,716 --> 00:25:57,276
Speaker 2: delightful things around in my brain all day. But I

497
00:25:57,316 --> 00:26:00,316
Speaker 2: also worried that Catherine didn't fully realize the level of

498
00:26:00,356 --> 00:26:04,036
Speaker 2: mind distraction her pupil was dealing with. I realized I

499
00:26:04,116 --> 00:26:06,916
Speaker 2: might need some remedial help before jumping into the delight

500
00:26:06,996 --> 00:26:09,556
Speaker 2: deep end. So I decided to talk to the poet

501
00:26:09,556 --> 00:26:12,796
Speaker 2: who inspired Catherine, the guy who literally wrote the book

502
00:26:12,836 --> 00:26:15,916
Speaker 2: on delights. When we get back from the break, we'll

503
00:26:15,916 --> 00:26:19,116
Speaker 2: hear all the amazing lessons he shared. We'll see how

504
00:26:19,156 --> 00:26:21,316
Speaker 2: fun it can be to start noticing all the great

505
00:26:21,316 --> 00:26:25,916
Speaker 2: stuff in the world. Spring flowers, smiling faces on public transport,

506
00:26:26,356 --> 00:26:29,756
Speaker 2: the eighties band el DeBarge, and even tomato plants.

507
00:26:30,236 --> 00:26:34,436
Speaker 6: Where's my tomato? How's my tomato? You know there's my tomato?

508
00:26:34,476 --> 00:26:46,396
Speaker 2: Did you the happiness Lab? We'll be right back. I

509
00:26:46,476 --> 00:26:48,596
Speaker 2: knew finding more delights was going to be tough for

510
00:26:48,676 --> 00:26:52,596
Speaker 2: someone who's as distracted and overworked as I am, So

511
00:26:52,636 --> 00:26:55,076
Speaker 2: I decided to talk to the man who invented the practice,

512
00:26:55,276 --> 00:26:56,436
Speaker 2: the poet Rossquae.

513
00:26:57,076 --> 00:26:59,556
Speaker 6: Well, you don't know until you carry a tomato seed,

514
00:26:59,636 --> 00:27:02,356
Speaker 6: lean through the airport and onto a plane is that

515
00:27:02,396 --> 00:27:04,916
Speaker 6: carrying a tomato seed lean through the airport and onto

516
00:27:04,996 --> 00:27:07,676
Speaker 6: a plane will make people smile at you, almost like

517
00:27:07,756 --> 00:27:09,036
Speaker 6: you're carrying a baby.

518
00:27:09,916 --> 00:27:13,076
Speaker 2: Ross is reading from his essay entitled Tomato on Board.

519
00:27:13,436 --> 00:27:16,116
Speaker 6: I did not know this until today. Carrying my little

520
00:27:16,156 --> 00:27:19,196
Speaker 6: tomato about three or four inches high in its four

521
00:27:19,236 --> 00:27:22,276
Speaker 6: inch plastic starter pot, which my friend Michael gave to me,

522
00:27:22,516 --> 00:27:24,836
Speaker 6: smirking about how I was going to get it home.

523
00:27:24,956 --> 00:27:27,476
Speaker 2: Ross decided to stick the plant in his open carry

524
00:27:27,516 --> 00:27:30,276
Speaker 2: on bag and send it through the TSA machine.

525
00:27:30,396 --> 00:27:32,556
Speaker 6: When the security guy saw it was a tomato, he

526
00:27:32,636 --> 00:27:34,676
Speaker 6: smiled and said, I don't know how to check that.

527
00:27:35,156 --> 00:27:35,836
Speaker 6: Have a good day.

528
00:27:36,236 --> 00:27:38,436
Speaker 2: But as Ross tried to stick the tomato plant back

529
00:27:38,476 --> 00:27:40,836
Speaker 2: into his bag, he realized that one of its stems

530
00:27:40,876 --> 00:27:41,356
Speaker 2: had broken.

531
00:27:41,636 --> 00:27:43,676
Speaker 6: So I decided I'd better just carry it out in

532
00:27:43,676 --> 00:27:46,596
Speaker 6: the open, and the shower of love began. Before boarding

533
00:27:46,596 --> 00:27:48,556
Speaker 6: the final leg in my flight, one of the workers

534
00:27:48,596 --> 00:27:51,996
Speaker 6: said nice tomato, which I don't think was a come on,

535
00:27:52,316 --> 00:27:55,036
Speaker 6: and the flight attendant asked about the tomato at least

536
00:27:55,116 --> 00:27:59,436
Speaker 6: five times, not an exaggeration, every time calling it my tomato,

537
00:27:59,956 --> 00:28:04,156
Speaker 6: Where's my tomato? How's my tomato? You there's my tomato,

538
00:28:04,236 --> 00:28:06,836
Speaker 6: did you. She even directed me to an open seat

539
00:28:06,876 --> 00:28:08,796
Speaker 6: in the exit row. Why don't you guys go sit

540
00:28:08,876 --> 00:28:11,036
Speaker 6: there and stretch out. When I got my water, I

541
00:28:11,036 --> 00:28:13,596
Speaker 6: poured some into the low guy's soil. When we got bumpy,

542
00:28:13,836 --> 00:28:16,196
Speaker 6: I put my hand on the low guy's container, careful

543
00:28:16,236 --> 00:28:18,636
Speaker 6: not to snap another arm off. And when we landed

544
00:28:18,836 --> 00:28:21,276
Speaker 6: and the pilot put the brakes on hard, my arm

545
00:28:21,356 --> 00:28:24,876
Speaker 6: reflexively went across the seat, holding the low guy in place,

546
00:28:25,156 --> 00:28:27,036
Speaker 6: the way my dad's arm would when he had to

547
00:28:27,076 --> 00:28:29,796
Speaker 6: break hard in that car without seat belts to speak of.

548
00:28:30,036 --> 00:28:33,196
Speaker 6: In one of my very favorite gestures in the Encyclopedia

549
00:28:33,316 --> 00:28:34,596
Speaker 6: of Human Gestures.

550
00:28:34,916 --> 00:28:37,196
Speaker 2: Tomato on board is just one of the many joy

551
00:28:37,236 --> 00:28:41,356
Speaker 2: inducing essays in Ross's Book of Delights, an entire book

552
00:28:41,396 --> 00:28:45,556
Speaker 2: filled with his personal stories of feeling delighted. The idea

553
00:28:45,596 --> 00:28:47,996
Speaker 2: for the book came when Ross was in Italy, walking

554
00:28:47,996 --> 00:28:51,436
Speaker 2: on a lovely path and noticing all the wildflowers. He

555
00:28:51,516 --> 00:28:55,396
Speaker 2: recognized how present he felt when experiencing delight, that feeling

556
00:28:55,396 --> 00:28:58,156
Speaker 2: of deep pleasure we get when we noticed something beautiful

557
00:28:58,276 --> 00:29:02,436
Speaker 2: or funny or just well delightful. Ross wanted to experience

558
00:29:02,476 --> 00:29:05,356
Speaker 2: that feeling more often and to document it.

559
00:29:05,956 --> 00:29:08,476
Speaker 6: The thought was, no, you should write an essay every

560
00:29:08,516 --> 00:29:11,356
Speaker 6: day for a year about something that delights you and

561
00:29:11,396 --> 00:29:12,036
Speaker 6: see what you learn.

562
00:29:12,516 --> 00:29:15,236
Speaker 2: He gave himself three rules for his new delight.

563
00:29:14,996 --> 00:29:18,236
Speaker 6: Project, and they were to do it every day, to

564
00:29:18,316 --> 00:29:21,356
Speaker 6: write by hand, and to write them quickly. So I

565
00:29:21,436 --> 00:29:23,116
Speaker 6: drafted them all in thirty minutes.

566
00:29:24,156 --> 00:29:27,316
Speaker 2: Ross began noticing new delights all the time, and every

567
00:29:27,316 --> 00:29:29,316
Speaker 2: time he saw one, he'd stick his finger in the

568
00:29:29,356 --> 00:29:33,516
Speaker 2: air and announce delight. The practice immediately connected him to

569
00:29:33,596 --> 00:29:35,796
Speaker 2: a lot more joy than he was expecting, which was

570
00:29:35,796 --> 00:29:38,356
Speaker 2: evident in the sheer number of times Ross laughed out

571
00:29:38,396 --> 00:29:41,596
Speaker 2: loud as he fidgeted through our interview. But the practice

572
00:29:41,636 --> 00:29:44,676
Speaker 2: also connected Ross to a host of wonderful, often very

573
00:29:44,676 --> 00:29:47,756
Speaker 2: specific things that he normally wouldn't have time to notice

574
00:29:47,996 --> 00:29:52,116
Speaker 2: because of the usual life distractions. Wonderful things like praying

575
00:29:52,156 --> 00:29:55,716
Speaker 2: mantis's and fireflies, and the first lilacs of the year,

576
00:29:56,196 --> 00:30:00,036
Speaker 2: which Ross eloquently refers to as the purple cornets of spring,

577
00:30:00,956 --> 00:30:03,036
Speaker 2: and the fact that spring not only has lots of

578
00:30:03,076 --> 00:30:06,676
Speaker 2: lovely flowers like lilacs, but oddly lots of lovely purple

579
00:30:06,676 --> 00:30:12,036
Speaker 2: flowers hyacinths, bellflower, irises those circular puff things I don't

580
00:30:12,076 --> 00:30:14,556
Speaker 2: really know the name of. It is indeed kind of

581
00:30:14,596 --> 00:30:16,916
Speaker 2: delightful that they are all purple.

582
00:30:17,756 --> 00:30:22,396
Speaker 6: The abundance of the purple things like what a miracle

583
00:30:22,556 --> 00:30:25,076
Speaker 6: is that, you know, kind of miracul of fat.

584
00:30:26,276 --> 00:30:28,956
Speaker 2: Ross also found delight in the dumb things our bodies do,

585
00:30:29,596 --> 00:30:32,396
Speaker 2: like the laughing snort that sound we make when we

586
00:30:32,436 --> 00:30:35,476
Speaker 2: go fall so hard that we wind up sounding like

587
00:30:35,516 --> 00:30:36,196
Speaker 2: a pig.

588
00:30:37,796 --> 00:30:41,356
Speaker 6: Which is this really beautiful experience of like, oh, my

589
00:30:41,436 --> 00:30:44,156
Speaker 6: body did something I didn't mean it to do, but

590
00:30:44,196 --> 00:30:46,276
Speaker 6: it did it out of a kind of you know,

591
00:30:46,316 --> 00:30:46,876
Speaker 6: a delight.

592
00:30:47,356 --> 00:30:49,716
Speaker 2: Ross also started to take delight and the weird things

593
00:30:49,796 --> 00:30:52,476
Speaker 2: humans do all the time, like giving a high five

594
00:30:52,556 --> 00:30:55,396
Speaker 2: to a total stranger, and the do over when we

595
00:30:55,436 --> 00:30:58,156
Speaker 2: make a mistake and quickly yell out do over and

596
00:30:58,276 --> 00:31:00,516
Speaker 2: just somehow get to pretend that whatever we just did

597
00:31:00,676 --> 00:31:04,396
Speaker 2: didn't happen. Ross also finds a lot of delight in music.

598
00:31:05,036 --> 00:31:08,236
Speaker 2: One essay called Love Me in a Special Way chronicles

599
00:31:08,236 --> 00:31:11,636
Speaker 2: his appreciation for one of my favorite eighties bands, El

600
00:31:11,716 --> 00:31:14,916
Speaker 2: DeBarge Think to the beat of the Rhythm of the Night.

601
00:31:15,676 --> 00:31:18,036
Speaker 2: The essay ends with him hearing El DeBarge playing in

602
00:31:18,076 --> 00:31:21,636
Speaker 2: the security line at the Philadelphia Airport and then noticing

603
00:31:21,636 --> 00:31:24,076
Speaker 2: an older man working there scream out to no one

604
00:31:24,076 --> 00:31:26,956
Speaker 2: in particular, Hey, is that el DeBarge?

605
00:31:27,236 --> 00:31:30,556
Speaker 6: That that record was made and I could have listened

606
00:31:30,596 --> 00:31:31,916
Speaker 6: to it is astonishing.

607
00:31:32,476 --> 00:31:34,476
Speaker 2: As I shared my own delight in listening to l

608
00:31:34,516 --> 00:31:38,116
Speaker 2: DeBarge with Ross, he explained that conversations like ours soon

609
00:31:38,196 --> 00:31:40,476
Speaker 2: became one of the best parts of his project.

610
00:31:40,756 --> 00:31:42,756
Speaker 6: Like the fact that you just shared that with me,

611
00:31:43,156 --> 00:31:45,196
Speaker 6: It just makes my eyes bigger for that, and it

612
00:31:45,236 --> 00:31:46,276
Speaker 6: makes my heart bigger too.

613
00:31:46,596 --> 00:31:49,316
Speaker 2: Ross's eyes are still constantly focused on the wonders of

614
00:31:49,356 --> 00:31:51,796
Speaker 2: the world. He even shared a delight that he'd heard

615
00:31:51,956 --> 00:31:52,796
Speaker 2: that very morning.

616
00:31:53,156 --> 00:31:56,196
Speaker 6: I never noticed it before, but the way that sometimes

617
00:31:56,236 --> 00:31:59,596
Speaker 6: we will make a sound to another person. Maybe you

618
00:31:59,796 --> 00:32:03,676
Speaker 6: grow blueberries, I might make a sound to indicate their

619
00:32:03,676 --> 00:32:11,036
Speaker 6: delicious hmo, and like ah.

620
00:32:11,276 --> 00:32:14,236
Speaker 2: By training himself to notice delights, Ross has made his

621
00:32:14,316 --> 00:32:17,956
Speaker 2: days more playful, that first marker of true fun. But

622
00:32:17,996 --> 00:32:20,716
Speaker 2: he's also embraced that sense of connection that comes from

623
00:32:20,756 --> 00:32:22,396
Speaker 2: sharing your own delights with others.

624
00:32:23,156 --> 00:32:25,836
Speaker 6: Oh this delights you, this delights me. Oh, we're kindred

625
00:32:25,876 --> 00:32:28,396
Speaker 6: in this way, probably among other ways.

626
00:32:28,756 --> 00:32:31,556
Speaker 2: A year of focusing on delightful things also made Ross

627
00:32:31,596 --> 00:32:34,556
Speaker 2: more present. Seeking out delights gives him flow.

628
00:32:35,156 --> 00:32:39,196
Speaker 6: I found that as I was practicing this, my eyes

629
00:32:39,236 --> 00:32:41,876
Speaker 6: were on for delight. That's it. My eyes were on

630
00:32:41,956 --> 00:32:42,516
Speaker 6: for delight.

631
00:32:43,156 --> 00:32:46,316
Speaker 2: But noticing delights has had other benefits for Ross beyond

632
00:32:46,356 --> 00:32:50,116
Speaker 2: just being fun. It's given Ross an unexpected dose of resilience.

633
00:32:50,596 --> 00:32:53,996
Speaker 2: Even though his book is ostensibly about delights, his essays

634
00:32:54,036 --> 00:32:57,676
Speaker 2: also tackle issues like structural racism and grief following the

635
00:32:57,716 --> 00:32:59,996
Speaker 2: death of a loved one, and many of the parts

636
00:33:00,036 --> 00:33:02,956
Speaker 2: of life that are downright ugly. But training his brain

637
00:33:02,996 --> 00:33:05,836
Speaker 2: to notice positive things has allowed him to keep noticing

638
00:33:05,916 --> 00:33:07,916
Speaker 2: blessings even in the worst of times.

639
00:33:08,156 --> 00:33:12,356
Speaker 6: In the midst of found sorrow, there's like eight purple

640
00:33:12,556 --> 00:33:15,556
Speaker 6: things that bloom in May. It's ridiculous.

641
00:33:16,556 --> 00:33:18,636
Speaker 2: As I chatted with Ross, I was struck by how

642
00:33:18,756 --> 00:33:21,636
Speaker 2: much happiness he exuded. He's one of the most joyful

643
00:33:21,636 --> 00:33:24,956
Speaker 2: people I've spoken with in a really long time. Ross

644
00:33:24,996 --> 00:33:28,276
Speaker 2: explained that he constantly feels an emotion that scientifically known

645
00:33:28,276 --> 00:33:32,076
Speaker 2: to boost well being, a deep sense of gratitude. Ross

646
00:33:32,076 --> 00:33:34,756
Speaker 2: claims that his gratitude for the universe often feel so

647
00:33:34,956 --> 00:33:38,116
Speaker 2: profound these days that it sometimes moves him to tears.

648
00:33:39,036 --> 00:33:44,756
Speaker 6: No it is it's like me hens, thank you, you

649
00:33:44,836 --> 00:33:45,476
Speaker 6: know like that.

650
00:33:48,556 --> 00:33:51,476
Speaker 2: Seeing the joy that Ross experienced got me really excited

651
00:33:51,476 --> 00:33:54,116
Speaker 2: to do my fun prevention delight homework. So I bought

652
00:33:54,116 --> 00:33:57,836
Speaker 2: a crappy notebook and got ready to catalog like Ross.

653
00:33:57,916 --> 00:33:58,596
Speaker 5: I worried that I.

654
00:33:58,516 --> 00:34:01,036
Speaker 2: Wouldn't be able to come up with something truly delightful

655
00:34:01,116 --> 00:34:04,756
Speaker 2: every single day. I also feared that I'd constantly feel

656
00:34:04,876 --> 00:34:07,116
Speaker 2: like I didn't have time to be focused on sleuthing

657
00:34:07,116 --> 00:34:10,916
Speaker 2: out all these good things, especially on busier days. But

658
00:34:10,956 --> 00:34:13,636
Speaker 2: I adapted the rules Ross used to make things easier.

659
00:34:14,076 --> 00:34:16,476
Speaker 2: I just had to find one delight a day, and

660
00:34:16,516 --> 00:34:18,516
Speaker 2: I promised myself that I'd take no more than a

661
00:34:18,556 --> 00:34:22,116
Speaker 2: few seconds to scribble something about that delight down on paper.

662
00:34:22,996 --> 00:34:25,836
Speaker 2: And if I was feeling really overwhelmed on a particular day,

663
00:34:26,236 --> 00:34:29,436
Speaker 2: I didn't even have to write anything, just notice finger

664
00:34:29,476 --> 00:34:34,636
Speaker 2: in the air delight. So what happened, Well, I quickly

665
00:34:34,676 --> 00:34:37,676
Speaker 2: realized how easily delight start finding you when you just

666
00:34:37,716 --> 00:34:40,996
Speaker 2: take time to notice. Instead of walking around town with

667
00:34:41,076 --> 00:34:43,516
Speaker 2: my phone out to check my email, I spent my

668
00:34:43,596 --> 00:34:47,276
Speaker 2: days feeling kind of curious, looking around trying to find

669
00:34:47,276 --> 00:34:49,796
Speaker 2: that hidden delight for the day. And when you train

670
00:34:49,876 --> 00:34:53,396
Speaker 2: your attention to look for good stuff, it works often

671
00:34:53,516 --> 00:34:57,236
Speaker 2: pretty fast. In fact, locating all those hidden delights took

672
00:34:57,276 --> 00:35:00,396
Speaker 2: way less time than I thought. It quickly felt like

673
00:35:00,436 --> 00:35:04,036
Speaker 2: they were finding me rather than me finding them. I

674
00:35:04,076 --> 00:35:06,876
Speaker 2: was very excited to report back about all my successes

675
00:35:06,996 --> 00:35:11,596
Speaker 2: to my fun prevention instructor. I was at this beach house.

676
00:35:11,676 --> 00:35:14,396
Speaker 2: There's this beautiful beach house looking out at the ocean,

677
00:35:14,996 --> 00:35:19,396
Speaker 2: and this mockingbird like flew and came onto the fence

678
00:35:19,476 --> 00:35:21,276
Speaker 2: right near there, and I was like, oh, I'm mockingbird.

679
00:35:21,796 --> 00:35:24,516
Speaker 2: And then he just took a dump and flew away,

680
00:35:25,156 --> 00:35:25,876
Speaker 2: and that was like.

681
00:35:26,836 --> 00:35:28,796
Speaker 4: Delight, delight, A finger in the air.

682
00:35:30,196 --> 00:35:32,156
Speaker 2: The same beach, I went for a walk on the

683
00:35:32,196 --> 00:35:34,196
Speaker 2: beach and there was this woman, you know, who was

684
00:35:34,236 --> 00:35:36,316
Speaker 2: on a beach blanket, just hanging out on the beach

685
00:35:36,516 --> 00:35:39,116
Speaker 2: and I noticed that she had a leash, but on

686
00:35:39,156 --> 00:35:41,956
Speaker 2: the leash wasn't a dog. It was a cat. Like

687
00:35:42,036 --> 00:35:43,836
Speaker 2: she'd brought her cat to the beach and the cat

688
00:35:43,916 --> 00:35:46,116
Speaker 2: was just like sitting there chilling on the beach.

689
00:35:46,396 --> 00:35:47,116
Speaker 4: That's delightful.

690
00:35:47,236 --> 00:35:47,916
Speaker 2: It was wonderful.

691
00:35:48,036 --> 00:35:49,996
Speaker 4: The cats on the beach was so good.

692
00:35:50,556 --> 00:35:53,156
Speaker 2: As Catherine and I connected and playfully laughed at the

693
00:35:53,156 --> 00:35:56,716
Speaker 2: delights I'd been present enough to start noticing. I realized

694
00:35:56,756 --> 00:35:59,556
Speaker 2: I was on the path to feeling less distracted and

695
00:35:59,716 --> 00:36:03,516
Speaker 2: actually experiencing this thing called fun. But there was still

696
00:36:03,676 --> 00:36:06,516
Speaker 2: more fun invention to be done. I was getting better

697
00:36:06,556 --> 00:36:09,596
Speaker 2: at paying attention, but I still needed to discover what

698
00:36:09,676 --> 00:36:12,516
Speaker 2: really felt fun, and to do that, I needed to

699
00:36:12,556 --> 00:36:15,556
Speaker 2: find ways to experience a bit more self compassion when

700
00:36:15,596 --> 00:36:19,356
Speaker 2: trying new things. And so, unfortunately I need to leave

701
00:36:19,396 --> 00:36:22,076
Speaker 2: you with a bit of a cliffhanger this week, but

702
00:36:22,156 --> 00:36:25,956
Speaker 2: I promise that Part two of my fun Prevention will

703
00:36:25,956 --> 00:36:28,596
Speaker 2: be even more that super fun. I was really scared

704
00:36:28,636 --> 00:36:29,716
Speaker 2: with that superbud it was.

705
00:36:29,916 --> 00:36:31,876
Speaker 5: It was awesome fun.

706
00:36:33,036 --> 00:36:34,996
Speaker 2: So if you want to hear about the final steps

707
00:36:34,996 --> 00:36:37,716
Speaker 2: in my fun Prevention, then don't miss the next sure

708
00:36:37,756 --> 00:36:40,316
Speaker 2: to be fun episode of The Happiness Lab with me

709
00:36:40,556 --> 00:36:47,876
Speaker 2: Doctor Laurie Santos. The Happiness Lab is co written and

710
00:36:47,916 --> 00:36:50,916
Speaker 2: produced by Ryan Dilly. Our original music was composed by

711
00:36:50,996 --> 00:36:54,876
Speaker 2: Zachary Silver, with additional scoring, mixing and mastering by Evan Biola.

712
00:36:55,636 --> 00:36:59,676
Speaker 2: Joseph Fridman checked our facts. Sophie Crane mckibbon edited our scripts.

713
00:37:00,196 --> 00:37:04,916
Speaker 2: Emily and Vaughan offered additional production support. Special thanks to

714
00:37:05,036 --> 00:37:09,876
Speaker 2: Mi LaBelle, Carly Migliori, Heather Fame, Maggie Taylor, Annella Lucaran,

715
00:37:10,316 --> 00:37:15,356
Speaker 2: Maya Knigg, Nicol Morano, Eric Xandler, Boyston Biser, Jacob Weissberg,

716
00:37:15,476 --> 00:37:18,476
Speaker 2: and my agent Ben Davis. That Pinis Lab is brought

717
00:37:18,476 --> 00:37:21,596
Speaker 2: to you by Pushkin Industries and me, Doctor Laurie Santos