Today is the first class in our new four class set. We will start class with a casual discussion. We only have listening material today. Our material is about fun. Please listen and follow the transcript. I don’t want to get too far ahead with our grammar so please use this week to catch up. Complete the sentences, take a picture, and send them to me via kakao.

MANOUSH ZOMORODI, HOST:

On the show today, resolved. Many of us promise ourselves that we are going to stress less. What does that even mean? Be less reactive when bad things happen? Manage our anger and anxiety better? Science journalist Catherine Price thinks the answer is simple - add more play into your daily schedule, and crucially, redefine your definition of what is fun. Here she is on the TED stage in Vancouver in 2022.

(SOUNDBITE OF TED TALK)

CATHERINE PRICE: So you might think that you're already having plenty of fun, and that's because in our everyday speech, we often use the word fun to describe anything we do with our leisure time, even if it's not actually enjoyable and, in fact, a waste of time. So for example, we scroll through social media for fun, even though doing so often makes us feel bad about, like, kind of everything. Or we'll say, that was so fun; we should do that again soon, in response...

(LAUGHTER)

PRICE: In response to things that weren't that fun and that we don't want to do again ever. But it's not really our fault that we're a little bit sloppy about how we use the word fun because even the dictionary doesn't get it quite right. You know, it says that fun is an amusement or enjoyment or lighthearted pleasure. It's something for kids to have in play areas. It makes it sound like it's frivolous and optional. But when people recount the memories in which they had the most fun, they tell you about some of the most joyful and treasured memories of their lives. So in reality, fun is not just lighthearted pleasure. It's not just for kids. And it is definitely not frivolous. Instead, fun is the secret to feeling alive.

So the first thing we need to start with is the fact that fun is a feeling, and it's not an activity. When people do have fun, when they experience this feeling, it's actually very easy to recognize because people who are having fun look like they're being illuminated from within. It's radiant. In fact, when I asked my daughter when she was about 5 years old what color fun would be, she said sunshine. So what is this sunshine? You know, what is this feeling that we call fun? Well, when people tell me their stories about fun, it's really interesting because the details are all different and often quite mundane, but the energy running through them is the same. And there are three factors that are consistently present, and those three factors are playfulness, connection and flow.

So by playfulness, I do not mean you have to play games. I just mean having a lighthearted attitude of doing things for the sake of doing them and not caring too much about the outcome, letting go of perfectionism. Connection refers to the feeling of having a special shared experience. And I do think it's possible in some circumstances to have fun alone, but in the majority of stories that people tell me about their peak fun memories, another person is involved, and that's true even for introverts. And then flow is the state where we are so engaged and focused on whatever we're doing that we can even lose track of time. You can think about an athlete in the middle of a game or, like, a musician playing a piece of music. It's when we're in the zone. Now, it's possible to be in flow and not have fun, like if you're arguing, but you cannot have fun if you're not in flow.

So playfulness, connection and flow all feel great on their own. But when we experience all three at once, something magical happens. We have fun. And that doesn't just feel good. It is good for us. In fact, fun does so many amazingly good things for us that I personally believe that fun is not just the result of human thriving. It's a cause.

Fun is energizing. Fun also makes us present. A lot of us put a lot of work into trying to be more present. You know, we do yoga classes. We meditate. And that is all great. But the fact that fun is a flow state means that when we are having fun, we simply are present. There's no other way for it to happen. Fun also makes us healthier. Now, being lonely and stressed out, as many of us have been, causes hormonal changes in our bodies that increase our risks for disease. But when we have fun, we're relaxed, and we're more socially connected, both of which have the opposite effect. And then lastly, fun is joyful. You know, we all so desperately want to be happy. We read books about happiness. We download apps about happiness. But when we are in a moment of having fun, we are happy.

So it makes me think that perhaps the secret to long-term happiness is just to have more everyday moments of fun. So how do we do that? How do we have more fun? So to start with, reduce distractions in order to increase flow. Anything that distracts you is going to kick you out of flow and prevent you from having fun. And what's the No. 1 source of distraction? For most of us these days, your phone. So today I want to challenge you to keep your phone out of your hand as much as possible so that you can take me up on my second suggestion, which is to increase playfulness by finding opportunities to rebel. I'm talking about finding ways to break the rules of responsible adulthood and give yourself permission to get a kick out of your own life. So, for example, one person told me that some of the most fun she'd had in recent memory happened on a Friday morning, when she and some of her friends ditched their work and their child care responsibilities, tucked flasks into their purses and snuck out to a 10:30 a.m. showing of the movie "Bad Moms."

(LAUGHTER)

PRICE: So lastly, here's one more thing that you can do today to start having more fun. Treat fun as if it is important because it is. I've been doing this myself for a couple of years now, and it's amazing to see how many areas of my life fun has touched. You know, I'm more creative and more productive. Making sure that I am having enough fun has made me a better partner and better parent and a better friend. And it has convinced me that my daughter was right. Fun is sunshine. It's a distillation of life's energy. And the more often we experience it, the more we will feel like we're actually alive. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

ZOMORODI: That was science journalist Catherine Price. She's the author of "The Power Of Fun: How To Feel Alive Again." You can see her full talk at ted.com.