The Power of Fun

How to Feel Alive Again

By: Catherine Price

Narrated by: Catherine Price

If you’re not having fun, you’re not fully living. The bestselling author of The Amazing Generation and 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.

Critic reviews

“An antidote to all the darkness . . . a guide to tapping into True Fun.”—The New York Times Book Review

“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.”—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

“This is a practical, evidence-backed plan for how to create True Fun in our lives, and an argument that fun isn’t optional, but essential.”—Charles Duhigg, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better

”Building on the central idea of How to Break Up With Your Phone—that our lives are what we pay attention to—The Power of Fun takes things a step further by helping us identify what we want to pay attention to, with the ultimate goal of helping us to feel more alive. Inspirational, funny, research-packed, and full of practical strategies, The Power of Fun is a game-changer.”—Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global

“Catherine Price helped me work through my dysfunctional relationship with my smartphone. Now she’s again making my life better.”—A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically

“Fun isn’t nice to have—it’s a must-have in a burned-out world.”—Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play

“The Power of Fun is an essential guide for anyone who can’t quite remember what it’s like to experience joy—and who wants to learn how fun can point the way to a happier, healthier, more energetic, and purpose-driven life.”—Laurie Santos, host of the podcast The Happiness Lab

“Charming . . . Price’s advice on how to stop doom-scrolling and engage in fun, even in small steps, is engaging and will attract readers.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“Price is a trustworthy guide with a personable voice that stands out on each page. The Power of Fun reads like a heaping serving of a tasty yet healthy snack. You’ll enjoy every bite and feel energized afterward.”—BookPage

“Joy seekers are encouraged to ditch their devices and rediscover delight in this antidote to modern malaise. . . . With screen time and burnout now fixtures of modern life, this is a timely reminder of the value of reprioritizing.”—Publishers Weekly

How and why we need fun/joy!!

The helpful proof and practical explaining of how individualized fun can be for each person and universally. Why it’s necessary and the acknowledgment that there’s something to it!

Incredible content, now to have fun!

I enjoyed the way this book was structured, I loved all the science to back up her ideas, and the reasoning behind why we do what we do.

Practical ways to engage in fun

Great read to expand my emotional intelligence. Provided practical ways to engage in fun and cultivate it.

Excellent book!!

I’m so happy I listened to this book. I learned lots of strategies to improve my own happiness and the happiness of those around me.

Honest reflection on living your life to the fullest

Great reflections on a very good topic and her delivery makes for enjoyable listening, so a very worthy read or listen