The Fun Theory

Volkswagen sponsors a site called funtheory.com (click on images). The “site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better.” They have some great videos, like how to encourage people to walk up stairs rather than ride an escalator, how to encourage recycling, or how to encourage obeying the speed limit by making fun the reward. Amazingly, it works. People’s behavior changes when fun is the reward. In fact, just watching the video entices me to participate because…well, it looks like so much fun!

Imagine if you could make your home- and family-life fun. Think of it…family members coming to meals because it’s fun, bedrooms cleaned up because it’s fun,
everyone clearing the table because it’s fun.
   Well, alright, maybe I’m getting a little carried away. Family can’t be all fun. We do have boring times and times when we disagree.  But, I love fun. It’s just so much…fun.

In Fighting for Your Marriage, the authors state that “fun plays a vital role in the health of family relations.” They go further to state “good relationships become great relationships” when family members consistently share fun times together. Imagine what our families might be like if we could just add a little more fun into our family life. It’s not hard to do–eat dinner backwards, share a joke a day, tell some funny stories about your life right before bed, or see who can clean their room in the most unique and creative way.

Another fun way to create more fun is to brainstorm fun ideas with your family. Give each family member 10-12 index cards and have them write one fun idea on each card. Mix them up and pick three cards each day. As a family, choose the one activity card you can carry out for fun today. Go ahead, test the fun theory. Be creative and…have fun!

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