240 - Give Yourself Permission to Have More Fun with Dr. Mike Rucker

Mike Rucker, Ph.D., is an organizational psychologist who focuses on the science of fun. He’s a charter member of the International Positive Psychology Association, and his academic work has been published in peer-reviewed journals.

He discovered that many of the tools he had built as a student of positive psychology failed to help him during a difficult time in his life. He realized there’s a lot of misinformation out there about happiness, so he launched his own research into strategies that could bring more joy into his life.

He wrote a book called The Fun Habit in which he encourages people to give themselves permission to have more fun. He describes concrete strategies for creating time for fun and describes how to make every day activities — like going to work — more enjoyable.

Some of the things he talks about are how to make everyday activities more fun, how to prevent burnout, and an exercise that will help you discover what kinds of fun are most important to you.