Making Fun a Habit Beyond Guilty Pleasures: How to Turn Leisure, Work and Education into Joy with Dr. Mike Rucker

In this episode, I have the pleasure of talking with Dr. Mike Rucker, organizational psychologist, behavioral scientist, and author of “The Fun Habit: How the Pursuit of Joy and Wonder Can Change Your Life”!

Mike explains how work has come to define and control many aspects of our lives and that our to-do lists and domestic duties are endlessly growing, especially for those of us currently in the “sandwich generation”! We have lost many transition rituals and even at home we often get caught up in the nets of social media, passive leisure, and mindless entertainment.

But a lack of fun and joy and being constantly driven by work often leads us to burnout. The causes often stem from our Western conception of chasing and pursuing happiness and due to a task-based education that maximizes work and effort but minimizes leisure and idleness. Ironically, we work more and more, but we are our least productive selves.

The pandemic has led to the Great Resignation, and many are now looking for a fun work environment combined with causes that they care about. Moreover, the face and nature of work have changed and we are more aware and conscious of sleep hygiene and healthy habits.

Nonetheless, we need to enjoy our lives more and more fully and not feel guilty about our “guilty pleasures.” A reframing of our mindset and priorities could lead us to value and appreciate our precious and finite commodity of time much more than the mere capacity of working to make money and to replace the quest for dopamine with oxytocin as we connect with ourselves and others in more authentic ways.