SALT LAKE CITY — It’s official. Not all fun is created equal.

At least, that’s what Professor Bradley H. Smith from the University of Houston’s College of Education found. Smith believes society undervalues fun, especially in work or learning settings.

“I don’t think people take fun seriously enough,” Smith said. “It’s a basic human need, and we’re better off doing it.”

Smith, who works in the Department of Psychological Health and Learning Sciences, developed a new theoretical framework for understanding fun: the “Four Types of Fun” model.

Smith’s model was detailed in a study published in the August edition of the Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education.

The Four Types of Fun model

Before Smith’s article was published, researchers had not defined outdoor fun within academi

See Full Page