了解今日课堂：

【听力文段】mp3

（2-1）

So, for example, fun is energizing. When people tell me their stories about fun, they glow. It is like a fire has been lit inside of them. And the energy and the warmth that they give off is contagious. You know, so much of life drains us. But fun fills us up. Fun also makes us present. A lot of us put a lot of work into trying to be more present. 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 unites us. We live in a really polarized world. And as we all know, there's a lot of very serious problems. But when we have fun with people, we don't see them as different political parties, or nationalities or religions. We connect with them as human beings. And it's worth noting that that is the first step in being able to work together to solve those problems.

Fun also makes us healthier. Being lonely and stressed out, as many of us have been for the past two years, 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. So, kind of blows my mind every time I think about it this way. But having fun is a health intervention.

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.

（2-2）

So how do we do that? How do we have more fun? Well, to start with, do not take the suggestions you'll find in magazine articles about how to have more fun. I looked at some of these myself. And I found suggestions that include. And I'm not making these up, "roast a turkey."

"Put together an altar to loved ones who have passed."

"Watch a documentary about climate change."

And my personal favorite, "Adorn your table with gourds."

Those are not good suggestions. Instead, the most effective thing you can do to have more fun is to focus on its ingredients. By which I mean, do everything you can to fill your life with more moments of playfulness, connection and flow. So here are some ideas for how to do 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 number one source of distraction for most of us, these days? Oh, thank you.

It was rhetorical, but yes, your phones.

I wrote a book called "How to Break Up With Your Phone". So I have strong feelings about this. But I can guarantee you that you are not going to have fun if you're constantly on your phone. So today, I want to challenge you to keep your phone out of your hand as much as possible. So you can take me up on my second suggestion, which is to increase connection by interacting more with other human beings in real life. Now, I know that one of the main reasons we're constantly on our phones is specifically to avoid having to spend time and interact with other human beings in real life.

（2-3）

So I want to assure you that it is worth it. And it is not as hard as it might seem. So here's how you do it. You start by making eye contact with someone. Like, look them in the eye, don't look in the middle of their forehead, where the camera would be on a Zoom call.

And you say, Hello. And if that goes well, you can introduce yourself. And if that goes well, maybe you can ask them a question, something that's thought-provoking, but not overly personal or threatening, like: What's something that fascinates you? Or: What's one thing that delighted you today? And you might be amazed by how good just one little moment of connection can make you feel.

And if you do find someone to connect with, maybe ask them to join you in trying my third suggestion, which is to increase playfulness by finding opportunities to rebel. Now I am not talking about James Dean-level of rebellion. I'm talking about playful deviance. I'm talking about finding ways to break the rules of responsible adulthood, and giving yourself permission to get a kick out of your own life. 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 childcare responsibilities, tucked flasks into their purses and snuck out to a 10:30am showing of the movie "Bad Moms."

（2-4）

lastly, here's one more thing that you can do today to start having more fun.

I am just kidding.

Prioritize it. That might sound totally obvious. But one of the main reasons we're not having enough fun is that we're not making it a priority. Our fun is always at the bottom of the list. And it can't speak up for itself. So I'm not suggesting that you take out your calendar and make an entry that says: From 4 to 6pm on Saturday, I shall have fun. That is a guaranteed way to not have fun. But if you know you consistently have fun when you spend time with a particular person, make a point to spend time with that person. If you know there's an activity that really does often generate playful connected flow for you, carve out time for it in your schedule. 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. I'm more creative and more productive. I'm more resilient. I laugh more. Making sure that I'm having enough fun has made me a better partner, a better parent and a better friend. And it has convinced me of something that I very much hope I can convince you of as well, which is 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.

【地道美语，长句精练】

1. There's no other way for it to happen.

2. You start by making eye contact with someone.

3. Make a point to spend time with that person.

【课堂纠音，上节连读】

1. What I mean by that is that we are all constantly doing.

2. They tell you about some of the most joyful and treasured memories of their lives.

3. doing things for the sake of doing them and not caring too much about the outcome.