The Fun Habit: How the Pursuit of Joy and Wonder Can Change Your Life by Mike Rucker, Ph.D., a two-time Ironman finisher and charter member of the International Positive Psychology Association, is a self-help book that will change your perspective on what it means to have fun, and why it is so important to integrate into your daily life, rather than saving it for special occasions. Full of personal anecdotes, motivational stories, and scientific evidence, Rucker’s The Fun Habit will help you change your life for the better and find happiness along the way.

Rucker begins by introducing the simple concept of fun, one that many adults push away as a waste of time, or something reserved for children, or the one week of the year that we take vacations from our jobs. He explains the connection between fun and happiness: how most people spend their whole lives wondering what the “key” to happiness is, and how it is really very simple – if you are having fun every day, for at least a portion of every day, you should be happy.

In order to help adults integrate fun into their lives, whether that be in their work, with their children, or really any circumstance, Rucker provides a “toolkit,” including how to create and use a “Fun File,” how to achieve “Peak Experiences,” how to use the “SAVOUR system,” and many more easy to understand and even easier to implement strategies to help you have more fun. Backed by scientific research, demonstrated through personal and more general stories, and explained very thoroughly, Rucker breaks down the science behind fun and makes it attainable for readers of all ages and walks of life.

Through 12 chapters, including an inspirational conclusion, Rucker answers all the questions readers may have about the daunting task of having fun. Also featured are “Hall of Fun” boxes interspersed throughout the book, referencing different experiments, moments in pop culture, and other short stories that exemplify the importance of fun. He tells stories of his own life, including what led him to writing this very book during the 2020 global pandemic. For anyone looking to integrate more fun into their lives, or anyone simply looking to be a little happier, The Fun Habit is the perfect book to shake up your life and start having more fun.