Why having fun is the secret to a healthier life | Catherine Price (re-release)

Summary

Podcast Summary:

TED Talks Daily – Why having fun is the secret to a healthier life | Catherine Price (Re-release)
Date: August 23, 2025
Guest: Catherine Price (Science Journalist & Author)
Host: TED (original TED 2022 talk, presented by Elise Hu)

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Main Theme

In this highly engaging TED talk, science journalist and author Catherine Price explores the deeper meaning of fun and argues it’s not simply a leisure activity, but an essential ingredient for feeling alive, fostering connection, and maintaining our overall health. Drawing from global anecdotes and scientific insights, Price offers a redefinition of “fun,” highlights its psychological and biological benefits, and supplies actionable, research-based advice for cultivating more fun—and thus happiness—in our everyday lives.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Paradox of Modern Life: Endlessly Busy but Not Alive

• [02:52] Price opens by observing that many people feel “a little bit dead inside”—constantly busy, often scrolling, but not truly living.

“You know what's a lot harder than it seems like it should be? Actually feeling alive. …We keep ourselves busy to the point of exhaustion, but we're also languishing. We feel a little bit dead inside.”
— Catherine Price (02:52)

• Many distractions are a way to avoid uncomfortable feelings, but they don’t resolve the underlying sense of emptiness.

2. Challenging the Meaning of 'Fun'

• [04:13] Price critiques how society superficially labels activities as “fun” even if they’re not enjoyable—like social media scrolling.
• Even dictionaries get it wrong, defining fun as mere “amusement,” making it seem frivolous or just for children.
• In reality, the most memorable, cherished moments people describe as “so fun” are deeply meaningful.

“Fun is not just lighthearted pleasure. It's not just for kids, and it is definitely not frivolous. Instead, fun is the secret to feeling alive.”
— Catherine Price (05:27)

3. A New Definition: Fun as a Feeling, Not an Activity

• [06:00]
  • Fun is “a feeling,” not any specific activity.
  • What’s fun isn’t universal—context matters, as does spontaneity and our internal experience.
• Through countless stories, Price identifies the “energy running through them is the same” and proposes three consistent elements:

The Three Ingredients of Fun (Playfulness, Connection, Flow)

• Playfulness: Lighthearted attitude, doing things for their own sake without caring about the outcome.
• Connection: Special shared experience (usually with others, sometimes connection with yourself or surroundings).
• Flow: Fully engaged, focused, and “in the zone,” losing track of time.

“When we experience all three at once, something magical happens. We have fun.”
— Catherine Price (08:25)

4. Why Fun Is Essential—Not Optional

• [08:47]
  • Fun is energizing (“a fire has been lit inside”).
  • Fun makes us present—an effortless form of mindfulness, unlike purposeful yoga or meditation.
  • Fun unites us—breaks down barriers of politics, religion, nationality; helps us connect as humans.
  • Fun improves health—counteracts loneliness and stress, which contribute to disease.
  • Fun is joy and happiness in action; perhaps a more fruitful path to happiness than seeking it directly.

“Fun is not just the result of human thriving; It's a cause.”
— Catherine Price (09:35)

• Memorable quote:

“Having fun is a health intervention.” (12:03)

5. How to Have More Fun: Actionable Strategies

• [11:15] Price dismisses bland magazine advice (e.g., “roast a turkey,” “adorn your table with gourds”), advocating instead for focusing on fun’s core ingredients:

a. Increase Flow: Reduce Distractions

• Minimize things that disrupt flow, especially phone use.

“I can guarantee you that you are not going to have fun if you are constantly on your phone.” (12:33)

b. Foster Connection: Interact More with Real People

• Start small (eye contact, say hello, then perhaps ask, “What’s something that delighted you today?”).
• Even a brief, real interaction can boost your mood.

c. Increase Playfulness: Find Opportunities to Rebel

• Practice “playful deviance”—break the rules of adult life in harmless ways (e.g., spontaneously skipping obligations for a morning movie with friends).

d. Prioritize Fun

• Fun is often deprioritized, “always at the bottom of the list,” but it should be treated as important.
• Don’t rigidly schedule fun (“from 4-6 pm I shall have fun”), but do intentionally make space for it with people and activities that tend to create playfulness, connection, and flow.

“Treat fun as if it is important, because it is.”
— Catherine Price (13:45)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On fun and being alive:

  “Fun is sunshine. It's a distillation of life's energy, and the more often we experience it, the more we will feel like we're actually alive.”
  — Catherine Price (14:35)

• On the contagious power of fun:

  “When people tell me their stories about fun, they glow. It is like a fire has been lit inside of them.”
  — Catherine Price (09:15)

• On fun as a uniting force:

  “When we have fun with people, we don’t see them as different political parties or nationalities or religions. We connect with them as human beings.”
  — Catherine Price (11:00)

• On actionable connection:

  “The most effective thing you can do to have more fun is to focus on its ingredients…do everything you can to fill your life with more moments of playfulness, connection and flow.”
  — Catherine Price (12:00)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:52: Introduction—feeling alive versus just being busy
• 04:13: Critique of the word “fun” and its common misuse
• 06:00: Fun as a feeling, not an activity
• 07:50: The three factors: playfulness, connection, flow
• 08:47: Why fun is critically important for health and happiness
• 11:15: How to have more fun: focus on ingredients, not prescriptive activities
• 13:45: Practical steps—reduce distractions, seek connection, rebel playfully, prioritize fun
• 14:35: Conclusion—fun as sunshine, the distillation of life’s energy

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Conclusion

Catherine Price’s talk argues compellingly that fun isn’t just for children or a superficial luxury—it’s vital to our well-being, happiness, and sense of aliveness. By intentionally cultivating playfulness, connection, and flow, and by prioritizing these experiences, anyone can tap into the “sunshine” of life, transforming daily existence into something far more joyful, healthy, and fulfilling.

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For further exploration: More Catherine Price at TED.com

Transcript

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[D]

You know what's a lot harder than it seems like it should be actually feeling alive. And what I mean by that is that we are all constantly doing, or at least we're constantly scrolling, but we're not necessarily living. You know, we keep ourselves busy to the point of exhaustion, but we're also languishing. We feel a little bit dead inside. And I think we know that on some level. I think that's part of the reason we keep ourselves so busy and distracted to begin with, but we don't know what to do about it. So I am here to tell you I figured out what to do about it. We need to have more fun. So you might think that you're already having plenty of fun. And that's because in our everyday speech, we often use the word fun to describe anything we do with our leisure time, even if it's not actually enjoyable and in fact, a waste of time. So, for example, we scroll through social media for fun, even though doing so often makes us feel bad about kind of everything. Or we'll say, that was so fun, we should do that again soon in response, in response to things that weren't that fun and that we don't want to do again ever. But it's not really our fault that we're a little bit sloppy about how we use the word fun, because even the dictionary doesn't get it quite right. You know, it says that fun is amusement or enjoyment or lighthearted pleasure. It's something for kids to have in play areas. It makes it sound like it's frivolous and optional, but if you think back on your own memories that stand out to you as having truly been fun, and I really encourage you to do this. You know, the memories that you would describe as, and forgive me for scientific terminology, so fun, you're going to notice that there's something much deeper going on. I've collected thousands of these stories from people all around the world, and I can tell you it's amazing, because when people recount the memories in which they had the most fun, they tell you about some of the most joyful and treasured memories of their lives. So in reality, fun is not just lighthearted pleasure. It's not just for kids, and it is definitely not frivolous. Instead, fun is the secret to feeling alive. So today, I want to propose to you a new, more precise definition of what fun is. I want to reveal some of the ways in which it is astonishingly good for us. And I want to give you all some suggestions for things you can do, starting right now, to experience its power for yourself. So the first thing we need to start with is the fact that fun is a feeling and it's not an activity. And that's important because a lot of times when I ask people what's fun, they'll respond with a list of activities that they enjoy. You know, they'll say, dancing is fun or skiing is fun, or, I don't know, pickleball is fun. Everyone seems to think that pickleball is fun. And sure, pickleball can be fun, but we've all had experiences where something's off and an activity that seems like it would be fun doesn't end up feeling fun. And then on the flip side, we've had experiences where something that doesn't seem like it would be fun at all ends up feeling ridiculously fun. There's an element of serendipity. But when people do have fun, when they experience this feeling, it's actually very easy to recognize, because people who are having fun look like they're being illuminated from within. True fun produces this visceral sense of lightness and joy. It's radiant. In fact, when I asked my daughter when she was about 5 years old what color fun would be, she said sunshine. So what is this sunshine? What is this feeling that we call fun? Well, when people tell me their stories about fun, it's really interesting because the details are all different and often quite mundane, but the energy running through them is the same. And there are three factors that are consistently present to the point that I believe they constitute a new definition, one that is a lot more accurate than what's in the dictionary. And those three factors are playfulness, connection, and flow. So by playfulness, I do not mean you have to play games or, God forbid, make believe. I just mean having a light hearted attitude of doing things for the sake of doing them and not caring too much about the outcome. Letting go of perfectionism. When we have fun, our guard is down and we're not taking ourselves too seriously. Connection refers to the feeling of having a special shared experience. And I do think it's possible in some circumstances to have fun alone and for this feeling of connection, to be with yourself or the surroundings or the activity. But in the majority of stories that people tell me about their peak fun memories, another person is involved. And that's true even for introverts. And then flow is the state where we are so engaged and focused on whatever we're doing that we can even lose track of time. You can think about an athlete in the middle of a game or like a musician playing a piece of music. It's when we're in the zone. Now it's possible to be in flow and not have fun. Like if you're arguing, but you cannot have fun if you're not in flow. So playfulness, connection, and flow all feel great on their own. But when we experience all three at once, something magical happens. We have fun. And that doesn't just feel good, it is good for us. In fact, fun does so many amazingly good things for us that I personally believe that fun is not just the result of human thriving, It's a cause. So, for example, fun is energizing. When people tell me their stories about fun, they glow. It is like a fire has been lit inside of them. And the energy and the warmth that they give off is contagious. You know, so much of life drains us, but fun fills us up. Fun also makes us present. A lot of us put a lot of work into trying to be more present. You know, we do yoga classes, we meditate, and that is all great. But the fact that fun is a flow state means that when we are having fun, we simply are present. There's no other way for it to happen. Fun also unites us. We live in a really polarized world, and as we all know, there's a lot of very serious problems. But when we have fun with people, we don't see them as different political parties or nationalities or religions. We connect with them as human beings. And it's worth noting that that is the first step in being able to work together to solve those problems. Fun also makes us healthier. Now, being lonely and stressed out, as many of us have been for the past two years, causes hormonal changes in our bodies that increase our risks for disease. But when we have fun, we're relaxed and we're more socially connected, Both of which have the opposite effect. So kind of blows my mind every time I think about it this way. But having fun is a health intervention. And then lastly, fun is joyful. You know, we all so desperately want to be happy. We read books about happiness, we download apps about happiness. But when we are in a moment of having fun, we are happy. So it makes me think that perhaps the secret to long term happiness is just to have more everyday moments of fun. So how do we do that? How do we have more fun? Well, to start with, do not take the suggestions you will find in magazine articles about how to have more fun. So I looked up some of these myself and I found suggestions that include, and I'm not making these up. Roast a turkey, put together an altar to loved ones who have passed, watch a documentary about climate change, and my personal favorite, adorn your table with gourds. So those are not good suggestions. Instead, the most effective thing you can do to have more fun is to focus on its ingredients, by which I mean do everything you can to fill your life with more moments of playfulness, connection and flow. So here are some ideas for how to do so. So to start with, reduce distractions in order to increase flow. Anything that distracts you is going to kick you out of flow and prevent you from having fun. And what's the number one source of distraction for most of us these days? Oh, thank you. It was rhetorical. But yes, your phones. Now, I wrote a book called how to break up with your phone, so I have strong feelings about this. But I can guarantee you that you are not going to have fun if you are constantly on your phone. So today I want to challenge you to keep your phone out of your hand as much as possible so that you can take me up on my second suggestion, which is to increase connection by interacting more with other human beings in real life. Now, I know that one of the main reasons we're constantly on our phones is specifically to avoid having to spend time and interact with other human beings in real life. So I want to assure you that it is worth it and it is not as hard as it might seem. So here's how you do it. You start by making eye contact with someone. Like look them in the eye. Don't look like in the middle of their forehead where the camera would be on a zoom call. And you say hello. And if that goes well, you can introduce yourself. And if that goes well, maybe you can ask them a question. Maybe something that's like thought provoking but not overly personal or threatening. Something like what's something that fascinates you? Or what's one thing that delighted you today? You might be amazed by how good just one little moment of connection can make you feel. And if you do find someone to connect with, maybe ask them to join you in trying. My third suggestion, which is to increase playfulness by finding opportunities to rebel. Now, I am not talking about James Dean level rebellion. I'm talking about playful deviance. I'm talking about finding ways to break the rules of responsible adulthood and give yourself permission to get a kick out of your own life. So for example, one person told me that some of the most fun she'd had in recent memory happened on a Friday morning when she and some of her friends ditched their work and their childcare responsibilities, tucked flasks into their purses, and snuck out to a 10:30am showing of the movie Bad Moms. So lastly, here's one more thing that you can do today to start having more fun. Prioritize it. That might sound totally obvious, but one of the main reasons we're not having enough fun is that we're not making it a priority. You know, our fun is always at the bottom of the list and it can't speak up for itself. So I'm not suggesting that you, like, take out your calendar and make an entry that says, from 4 to 6pm on Saturday, I shall have fun. That is a guaranteed way to not have fun. But if you know you consistently have fun when you spend time with a particular person, make a point to spend time with that person. If you know there's an activity that really does often generate playful, connected flow for you, carve out time for it in your schedule. Treat fun as if it is important, because it is. I've been doing this myself for a couple of years now, and it's amazing to see how many areas of my life fun has touched. You know, I'm more creative and more productive. I'm more resilient. I laugh more. Making sure that I am having enough fun has made me a better partner and a better parent and a better friend. And it has convinced me of something that I very much hope I can convince you of as well, which is that my daughter was right. Fun is sunshine. It's a distillation of life's energy, and the more often we experience it, the more we will feel like we're actually alive. Thank you.

[C]

That was Catherine Price at TED 2022. This talk was originally published in June 2022. If you're curious about TED's curation, find out [e-mail] curationguidelines and that's it for today's show. TED Talks Daily is part of the TED Audio Collective. This episode was produced and edited by our team, Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Greene, Lucy Little, Alejandra Salazar, and Tonsika Sarmarnivon. It was mixed by Christopher Faizy Bogan. Additional support from Emma Tobner and Daniela Ballarezzo. I'm Elise Hu. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed. Thanks for listening.

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