Fun and Entertainment

Do you enjoy yourself enough to feel satisfied with your life? This is an important question because research has shown that the less fun we think we have the less happy we tend to be. Entertainment is not quite the same thing as "having fun". Entertainment may only serve to keep our minds occupied but it may be boring and not fun.

Your idea of fun may differ from anyone else's radically. For example, you might be a big William Shatner fan but your best friend might think he isn't so interesting. You may enjoy watching the Food Network all day long and your family may want to spend the day lounging by the pool.

It's not easy to figure out what sort of activities are fun for a large group of people. Big families often have fun together but even the most happy-go-lucky kid may have an off day. So what do you do if you don't feel like joining in the fun? That's not an easy question to answer. Some kids make the mistake of turning to drugs because they are bored, lonely, or depressed. Drugs only make their lives more miserable because they spend their "down" time struggling to get to the next "high".

Scientists have learned that women have a very different genetic capacity for happiness from men. This is an important fact because it tells us that men and women really are different in many ways. Just having fun or being entertained is no guarantee of happiness. In fact you may be happy with less fun and entertainment. That seems counter-intuitive but it's true.

What we know for sure is that we are all unique individuals but we share certain needs and capabilities. That is what made us strong as a society, our similarity to each other which allowed us to remain uniquely individual. Maybe some day we'll have a true "happiness" pill: take it once and you'll be adjusted to be happy with your life. But when that day comes will we be giving up any fun?