Do You Remember How To Have Fun?

Life without fun and games isn't just dull—it's downright unhealthy. "Our research has shown that when women get out there and play, the benefits are amazing," says Careen Yarnal, PhD, an associate professor of recreation, park, and tourism management at Penn State University. "They cope better with stress, which sets up protective mechanisms that contribute to health and well-being. And if they play with others, it creates bonding and they get the benefit of social support, as well. Just as we know play is healthy for children, helping them blow off steam, learn, experiment, and make friends, we're finding the same to be true for adult women. When it comes to stress prevention, play is like wearing a suit of armor."

It's also a good health habit: Recent Japanese research found that spending as little as 2 hours a month laughing or listening to your favorite music has as big an impact on blood pressure as eliminating salty foods or even losing 10 pounds!

Unfortunately, many of us have become disconnected from the concept of fun. Increasingly, experts are saying that midlife is where fun goes to die. Our lives are so structured and serious that "there is often no room for spontaneity," says Stuart Brown, MD, a professor emeritus of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, and president of the National Institute for Play. "You're probably responsible, a hard worker, a moral person, and very involved with taking care of kids, parents, other people. But when you're not experiencing playful moments, you're not honoring your own need for unfettered joy."

Are you so far gone that you need a definition of fun? Here's one: "Anything that connects us with our childlike energy and joy counts as fun," says Susan Biali, MD, the author of Live a Life You Love: 7 Steps to a Healthier, Happier, More Passionate You.

Are you saying "sign me up" yet? If it's been a long time since you had any fun, check out these 12 easy ways to work a little more play into every day.

Dr. Biali, stressed out from patching up stabbed gang members in the emergency room, found her happiness fix in flamenco dancing, but, she says, "the idea that you have to take up some new hobby to be happy can create its own kind of pressure." Instead, she suggests adding fun to things you do every day. Crank up the funk on Pandora while you're cooking, make phone calls outside while simultaneously nature watching, or cuddle the cat while reading your e-mail. (Not sure you can adopt a Mr. Whiskers? Consider being a part-time pet owner.)

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You know that feeling of being so engrossed in something enjoyable that you lose track of time? Psychologists call that flow, an experience so pleasant that nothing else seems to exist. It can come from anything that absorbs you, from biking to knitting to devouring a Stephen King thriller. These engrossing leisure pursuits are the secret to aging well: A recent study of more than 3,500 older Japanese people found that those who had hobbies were significantly less frail, while another study found that people with hobbies had less cognitive decline than those without. Not sure what floats your boat? If you can't remember the last time you were that riveted, try a few things that have always been on your to-do list but keep getting nudged to the bottom by the have-to activities. (If biking is on the list, here's how to do it without the back pain.)

Housework gets in the way of healthy relaxing, says Darby Saxbe, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Southern California who has studied what people do when they get home from work. After measuring participants' cortisol levels (a marker of stress) during a variety of activities, from doing chores to watching TV to going for a walk, she concludes: "Housework is bad for your health." The more time women spent doing chores such as folding laundry and cleaning, the less the recovery in their cortisol levels, she says. So unless housework lights you up in some way, scrawl "gone fishin' " in the dust and go have some fun.

While most of us gave up coloring by middle school, any creative endeavor—whether painting, writing, or photography; crafts, cooking, or gardening—"is about as close to childhood play as many of us get," says Dr. Saxbe. For example, researchers at the University of Glasgow, in the UK, studied quilters and report that in addition to the well-being that comes from the sense of flow of their craft, the women get mood boosts from the colors of the fabrics used.

More from Prevention: 9 Ways To Get Creative

Forget the cliché of teenage boys owning the world of video games: More than half of those playing online are women, many via social networks like Facebook. (The average social gamer is a 43-year-old woman, and you'll find her routinely playing Farmville, Bejeweled, or Words with Friends.) Not only is this a good way to stay in touch with old friends and make new ones, but a survey from Harris Interactive found that women who play games are more likely to be happy in their relationships, socialize offline on a daily basis, and have sex at least once a week (38% of gamers versus 34% of nonplayers). 

While there's been plenty of research on what happens when people make us laugh, Melissa Wanzer, EdD, a communications professor at Canisius College, wanted to learn more about the health benefits of being the funny one. So she started tracking a trait she calls humor orientation, or HO. "We classify people as either high HO, moderate HO, low HO, or no HO," she deadpans.

But the perks of making others laugh are no joke: "People who use more humor, even if that means lame wisecracks, perceive themselves as more effective at coping with stress, more competent communicators, and less lonely." They get more social support too. "People want to be around funny people, and that support may generate additional psychological benefits, including higher self-esteem," she says. (Not to mention humor can smooth over a fight with your partner.)

You don't have to be Margaret Cho to get those rewards, though Dr. Wanzer does give her students the option to do a stand-up routine in place of a final each semester. "Can I turn someone into Jerry Seinfeld? No. But humor is teachable," she says. "Almost anyone can learn to tell a joke or simply repeat a funny story. Even forwarding funny e-mails is enough to switch you from humor absorber to humor producer."

Music is one of the fastest ways to switch from serious to playful, says Dr. Biali, whether your preference is Little Richard, Lady Gaga, or "Clair de Lune." "We respond physically. It's the quickest way to get us out of our heads and into our bodies," she says. And you can bring it everywhere—in the car, on your iPod, or as a ringtone. Consider pulling an Ally McBeal—the too-serious lovelorn lawyer from the '90s TV show adopted her own upbeat "theme song" on the advice of her therapist to drag herself out of the doldrums. Just for fun, create theme songs for people you know—particularly the ones you don't like—and hum the tune whenever you think of them (suggestion: "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," by Taylor Swift, for your ex).

While we may not think of spouses as constant playmates, they probably were when we chose them: Penn State researchers have shown that when dating, adults rank playfulness and humor high on their lists of desired qualities. Borrow one of your kids' video games (Wii Tennis and Guitar Hero are both highly rated for couples) or leave a deck of cards or your old favorite board game on the coffee table and see what happens.

Two years ago, when Jennifer Rheuban, now 36, found herself single again and looking for ways to dial up more fun, she couldn't shake her recollections of summer camp. "It was the most playful time of my life," the Los Angeles woman says, "so I decided to get it back." She launched a business called Adult Color Wars; the events gather dozens of adults to paint their faces and go after each other: "Tug-of-war. Steal the bacon. Capture the flag. Water balloon fights. We don't know each other, so no one cares who drives what car or has which job. We laugh harder than anyone could believe. And yes, it raises money for charity, but it's just pure, childlike fun."

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The Internet doesn't really offer any new twists on fun, says Pamela Rutledge, PhD, director of the Media Psychology Research Center. "People have long loved reading the funny papers or listening to recorded comedy. It's just made it so much more accessible." Try such can't-resist-'em sites as Cute Overload, AwwPix, or the Daily Puppy. Post the ones you love via Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest for bonus health points: Dr. Rutledge says sharing what made you smile intensifies the benefits. (Which reminds us: have you followed our cute animal Pinterest board yet?)

Tam Hess, 42, a Portland, OR, artist, wanted to find a way to play with her husband and two sons, 15 and 11: "This house is just so full of testosterone. I'm a girly girl and not athletic in the way they are." She suggested they all try letterboxing, an old-fashioned treasure-hunt game enjoying a wave of popularity in the United States and the UK. (Think geocaching but without the GPS.) Together they find a clue online, crack the puzzle, and then follow directions to a physical box that contains a rubber stamp, which they use to stamp their notebook. Hess's goal, besides collecting as many stamps as possible, is to enjoy a game the whole family can play: "I love the handmade rubber stamps, my husband is great at cracking puzzles, and the boys love the hunt."

New York City recently built an adult playground, complete with monkey bars and balance beams. There's a resurgence of dodgeball and kickball leagues for adults. And gym goers can't get enough of recess-style classes. Why shouldn't you take your exercise routine back to grade school too? Skipping, hopscotch, and hula-hooping beat working out on the elliptical for 30 minutes any day—and they all burn calories.

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