There’s a lot to cover this quarter, so I’ll get right to it. There are two areas of my upcoming book, The Fun Habit, where I could really use your help.
Question 1: What are your favorite ways to increase or decrease your arousal (i.e., the state of being alert, awake, and attentive)? For me, an increase can come from a cup of coffee, and a decrease can come from a beer after a long day. I’ve been trying to move away from these two methods, so I’ve been experimenting with listening to music. When I need a pick-me-up, I throw on a Misfits or Gang Starr album. If I need to wind down, right now Tame Impala is my go-to. What works for you (strategies, not music types; we got that one covered ☺)?
Question 2: What charities are you aware of that make a significant impact by incorporating fun? My favorite example is Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. The most successful example I can think of is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. What are your favorite fun charities, and why?
If you feel inclined to answer either question, please leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
The thought leader interviews this quarter have already become a couple of my all-time favorites. Dr. Mauss and I get into the challenges of pursuing happiness. Dr. Woolley and I discuss how you can use fun to improve healthy habits. I hope you enjoy them both as much as I do.
Iris Mauss is a professor in the psychology department at the University of California, Berkeley, and director of the Emotion & Emotion Regulation Lab. She’s well-known for her research on emotions and emotion regulation, with an emphasis on their influence on health and well-being. In her studies, she also explores the negative consequences the pursuit of happiness can have on us. Her research is often cited in popular traditional media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Psychology Today. You can find the Dr. Mauss interview about the consequences of the pursuit of happiness by clicking here.
Kaitlin Woolley is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the SC Johnson Cornell College of Business. She researches consumer motivation and goal pursuit, focusing on understanding what consumers value when pursuing their goals and how to use this to increase goal persistence. Her work has been published in top-tier academic journals, including the Journal of Consumer Research and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, as well as featured in popular press like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. You can find the Dr. Woolley interview about reward timing by clicking here.
This quarter’s life experience took place in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Looking for safe family entertainment for the New Year, my wife, the kids, and I spent a lot of time in the open-air playgrounds of Myrtle’s many mini-golf courses. Three out of four of us got our first hole-in-ones! I won’t tell you who didn’t.
My contributions this year so far have included donations to Safe Hands For Girls, Cheerful Helpers Child and Family Study Center, Spark, PlayBuild, and National Bail Out. The most notable though was a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through their Inspiration4 campaign. If you’ve been following my personal journey, you’ve undoubtedly picked up on my desire to travel to space. So in the spirit of charitable giving that’s fun—I found it quite enjoyable to give to a cause that’s close to my family’s heart, while also entertaining the chance to potentially fulfill my lifelong dream of space travel.
You might recall last quarter I asked readers to tell me what they call the connection/relationship with fun that delivers us to awe, wonder, and joy—that sense of pleasure derived from outside ourselves. I was blown away that not a single person who responded described it the same way: Magic, The Zone, Awe, Awareness, The Present, Good Times, The Profound, Time Control, Grace, The Wow, Joy, My Happy Place. This list serves as a testament that how we respectively perceive fun is as unique as each one of us.
Yours in fun,
Mike Rucker, Ph.D.
P.S. The Fun Habit has been making the news a bunch lately. A few pieces hot off the press:
