Fun is more fun when others are involved

Abstract

Fun activities are commonly sought and highly desired yet their affective side has received little scrutiny. The present research investigated two features of fun in two daily diary studies and one laboratory experiment. First, we examined the affective state associated with fun experiences. Second, we investigated the social context of fun, considering whether shared fun is more enjoyable than solitary fun. Findings from these studies indicated that fun is associated with both high-activation and low-activation positive affects, and that it is enhanced when experienced with others (especially friends). However, social fun was associated with increases in high-activation but not low-activation positive affect, suggesting that social interaction emphasizes energizing affective experiences. We also found that loneliness moderated the latter effects, such that lonely individuals received a weaker boost from shared compared to solitary fun. These results add to what is known about the impact of social contexts on affective experience.

Keywords:

• Fun
• affect
• social interaction
• emotion regulation

Notes

1. Because experience sampling necessarily requires random sampling of moments during the day, the ratings we obtained may not be simultaneous with the actual fun experience but rather likely occurred shortly afterwards. This suggests that our findings are best interpreted in terms of the short-term durable affects associated with fun, a perspective that is consistent with our theorizing.

2. Gender was considered as a potential moderator of these effects. One significant interaction emerged in Study 1: a significant contrast 1 x gender interaction on activated negative affect (B = 0.04, SE = 0.02, t(3862) = 2.10, p = 0.04, 95% CI = {0.001, 0.08}), such that men experienced a relatively greater decrease in negative affect as a function of fun than women did (for men, means = 1.41 and 1.60; for women, means = 1.29 and 1.40, in the Fun and No Fun conditions, respectively. Simple effects indicated that the difference was significant for both sexes (among men, B = −0.07, SE = 0.02, t(3862) = −4.07, p < 0.001, 95% CI = {−0.11, −0.03}; among women, B = −0.03, SE = 0.01, t(3862)=−3.73, p < 0.001, 95% CI = {−0.05, −0.01}).

3. In Study 2, only one significant interaction with gender emerged, for contrast 2 on activated positive affect, B = 0.19, SE = 0.09, t(1161) = 2.14, p = 0.03, 95% CI = {0.01, 0.37}). Women experienced more activated positive affect when having fun with others compared to having fun alone, whereas this difference was not significant for men (among women, Ms = 3.97 and 3.51; B = 0.23, SE = 0.06, t(1161) = 3.64, p = 0.001, 95% CI = {0.11, 0.35}; among men, Ms = 4.00 and 3.91; B = 0.04, SE = 0.06, t(1161)=0.63, p = 0.53, 95% CI = {−0.08, 0.16}). Note that the gender interactions are inconsistent across Studies 1 and 2, suggesting that they may be due to chance.

4. Across conditions, participants playing built 1.84 towers, those playing with a friend built 1.88 towers, and those playing with a stranger built 2.10 towers. These values do not differ significantly.

5. Four participants did not complete the UCLA Loneliness Scale and were excluded from this analysis.