9 Benefits of Having Fun According to Science

Having fun may seem like something only kids do, but it’s something that adults should enjoy too. When we get older, we spend a lot of time focusing on serious stuff.

We focus on our budgets, the news, and a lot of other stuff that’s not always enjoyable and can be very stressful. The reason why it’s important to make time for fun activities, whether by yourself, with family, at work, or at school, is because it can be beneficial to your well-being.

What is fun?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines fun as “what provides amusement or enjoyment.” Fun isn’t something that’s the same everybody.

We all find different activities amusing and enjoyable. Even if someone else finds what you like to do boring, all that matters is that you’re having a good time. With that explained, here are some of the top benefits of enjoying some fun in life:

The Benefits of Fun

1. Fun lessens stress leading to better sleep

The American Psychological Association notes that those with lower stress levels have better sleep. Tying it back to fun, it’s been proven to be one of the best remedies for stress relief. So in other words, the more fun you have, the less stress you have, and the better sleep you can have.

2. Fun eases pain and helps you cope better

When you’re enjoying a nice game or playing a sport, you might not realize how little pain you’re feeling in these moments. One study was curious enough to look deeper into that.

Breast cancer patients were found to be better able to manage their pain when enjoying some fun with friends. If it can help people in that situation, perhaps it can help us in our own pain.

3. Keeps you young and energized

Stress has long been proven to speed up aging. Whether it’s a decline in our physical abilities or cognitive decline, if you allow yourself to stress too much, you’ll cause yourself to feel older faster.

When you have fun, you stay young. Remember that.

4. Fun makes you likable

Florida Atlantic University conducted a study that found classmates who were perceived as fun were more likable. Being a person that regularly likes to have fun can potentially be helpful to you in making more friends.

Try to find ways to be amusing among your family, classmates, colleagues, or romantic interests. You might be surprised how much it improves your relationships in life.

5. Increases flow

If you’re unfamiliar with flow, it’s the mental state where a person is engaged in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in doing an activity. When you choose to have fun doing creative activities like playing music, painting, or cooking, you’re probably going to be more likely to experience it.

Some of the benefits of flow include:

• Better performance

• Better coping

• More positive emotions

Taking time to enjoy one of your favorite creative practices can be good for your overall well-being. Try something creative today.

6. Makes you smarter

The 1970 British Cohort study found that people who read for fun had improved math and language skills. According to Growth Engineering, fun increase endorphins, dopamine, and oxygen, which all promote learning.

The next time you’re trying to learn something new, try making it enjoyable in some way. See if it helps you understand things better.

7. Creates better learning on the job

Enjoying your time doesn’t just make learning more effective at school or on your own time. It also works just as well in the workplace. An amusing activity makes things such as group cohesion and worker resiliency better, which help with increasing learning.

8. Can lead to employee retention

Another study that Penn State conducted found that businesses had more employee retention when amusement was incorporated with work. It was particularly effective with younger employees. And with older employees enjoyable activities at work improved their performance.

9. Protects your memory

Stress management is an important part of reducing the chances of developing cognitive problems such as poor memory. As mentioned earlier, doing something enjoyable helps us manage our stress. So, you’ll not only have a good time, you’ll help keep your memory function well.

How to have more amusement in life

You may have lived a life that was serious for so long, perhaps you don’t remember how to enjoy yourself. As expressed earlier, what one person thinks of as amusing can be different from what someone else thinks. But there are a variety of different activities you could engage in for enjoyment.

Here are some examples you can consider:

• Go out to a friendly night club for dancing or enjoy some karaoke. The point is to go somewhere where you can let loose and just have a good time. Allow yourself to not focus on all your upcoming stressful events in the future.

• Enjoy a game night with your loved ones. Make it competitive, but just enjoy the silliness and banter involved with trying to win. You could play charades, Pictionary, or a classic board game like Monopoly.

• Play a sport at a recreation center or at a playground. You could play basketball, flag football, or maybe even volleyball. Choose whichever sport you enjoy the most and you’ll be sure to have a lot of enjoyment.

Is the purpose of life amusement?

Amusement may not be the purpose of life, but it is an important part of having personal fulfillment and feeling physically and mentally well. Whether you’re young or old, making time for activities you enjoy is something that everyone should do to enjoy life to the fullest

Make it your personal goal moving forward to have more amusement in your days. See how much of a positive difference it makes for you.

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