Of course, there are some activities that aren’t really pleasurable, yet trick you into thinking you are having fun, because they numb discomfort and relieve your negative valent state. The type of activity you’re engaged in? It doesn’t really matter. Fun is any activity on the positive side of valence (sometimes referred to in scientific literature as ‘hedonic tone’). A more psychological definition invokes the concept of valence: the pleasantness or unpleasantness of an emotional stimulus. In the simplest of terms, fun is any activity you find pleasurable and are drawn to. Just as wearing a lack of sleep as a badge of honour needed radical reframing in the 1990s (because of its harmful effects), I believe that people’s attitudes to leisure and fun now need the same attention. This is concerning, especially given that mounting research demonstrates having fun is a vital component of wellbeing. There’s also the rise of communication tools that make you accessible at any hour, every day. The seismic shifts in the way we work aren’t helping either, including the transition to so-called knowledge work, where you never really know when your work is finished. If you’re in the ‘sandwich’ generation – those caught between raising children and caring for ageing parents – you face compounding challenges to having fun. The stress and demands of modern daily life can feel overwhelming, leaving little time or energy for enjoyable experiences. Do you ever wonder if life could (or should) be more fun? In today’s fast-paced world – especially in Western nations – many of us find ourselves struggling to experience a consistent level of joy.

Hedonic valence