After months of lockdown, with uncertainty piling upon boredom, science journalist Catherine Price offers a remedy in The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again. Price, known for revealing the science behind ordinary things, came to this research after a revelatory moment of scrolling through her phone while feeding her newborn. It also builds on her How to Break Up with Your Phone, and readers familiar with that book might notice Price treading similar ground as she explains how social media and smartphones have hijacked our attention and changed the definition of "fun." This book responds to those saying, "I've put down my phone. Now what?" For Price, the answer is "True Fun," not the empty facsimile offered by the latest app.
Price compiles evidence for the ways focusing on fun is a path to flourishing, a way to feel fully alive. With a practical and systematic approach, Price gathers research and resources while crafting a shared vocabulary of concepts that readers can use to discover (or perhaps recover) their Fun Personality or Fun Magnets--the elements that tap into their distinctive chemistries of fun. Uniting everyone is a focus on presence and attentiveness, requirements for True Fun as well as a life well-lived. Perfect for a season of reflection and growth, Price invites readers on a journey that will make it easy to answer the question: "When was the last time you had fun?" --Sara Beth West, freelance reviewer and librarian