Quote:
What is fun?
* What does someone mean when they say "It was a lot fun!" or "I had so much fun!"
* What things/concepts contribute to 'having a good time'?
* What things/concepts discourage 'having the time of your life'?
* What do people do for fun? What is it about it that makes it fun?
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For me, I think everything I consider "fun" has one common factor:
Being exposed to something new - This contributes a lot to whether something is fun or not because it creates a bit of anxiety, and that anxiety creates an exciting rush that just feels good. For example, I saw an off-broadway musical last night, and it was so fun! I even caught myself trembling while sitting in the audience because I was so excited. It was only my second musical I've ever been to, so a lot of it was me wondering what was going to happen next. Other activities might not be entirely "new" to me, but they have the possibility of creating unexpected circumstances, so they are still fun. For instance, I love hiking. Even hiking a trail I've been on several times is still exciting because nature is always a little different. There could be wildlife I rarely see, or a beautiful sunset, or maybe a surprise rain storm.
Road trips to me are the ultimate good time, especially spontaneous road trips that have lots of room for exploration and the unexpected.
But again, all of these boil down to a feeling of
anxiety that comes from not knowing exactly what you're in for. A friend once told me that anxiety without breath is fear, and anxiety with breath becomes excitement.
On the other hand, too much anxiety completely sucks the fun out of an activity for me. If I try something new and I am completely terrible at it, or if it is so unfamiliar to me that anxiousness (usually fun) turns to fear or panic, then I stop having a good time and usually stop doing the activity. For example, a friend of mine loves soccer and is very good, and I was invited to play on his coed team. During the first practice I felt completely overwhelmed and I threw a little tantrum and stomped off the field. I didn't know what to do, and that created a feeling of panic (exacerbated by the fact that I was embarrassed for being the only one who was new to soccer).
So, "fun" for me is a careful balance of anxiousness. Just the right amount can make something thrilling, but too much and I shut down and have a terrible time.