Type II Fun

Imagine being asked at a dinner party to tell the story of the most fun experience you’ve ever had. It’s unlikely you’d decide to regale the audience with tales of time spent on the beach drinking cocktails, or monologue about how you played tennis before whiling away the hours in a spa at your local health club.

Despite these activities undoubtedly having their merits, they are not particularly unique. The benefits garnered from them do not have to be earned and as such, the level of fun experienced can feel superficial. Adversely, experiences that put the participant outside of their comfort zone, require effort and involve an element of risk often generate the deepest levels of fun, while also creating the most captivating dinner party stories.

The distinction between these two types of experience was categorised in the 1980s by a geology professor and mountaineer who theorised the ‘fun scale’. The scale presented the idea that experiences and activities that are wholly enjoyable in the moment (Type I fun) produce a different kind of satisfaction than those which are not completely enjoyable at the time but result in retrospective pleasure (Type II fun).

Type II fun: why do it?

Common examples of Type II fun, like completing an Iron Man or swimming the Channel, may involve prolonged periods of pain and unenjoyment during the experience. They may require the conquering of significant hurdles while having to overcome negative thoughts and emotions. However, once completed they are often viewed as fun, worthwhile accomplishments. This is Type II fun in a nutshell.

Genuine satisfaction and learning are gained from removing yourself from your comfort zone. By choosing adventure and uncertainty, an individual opens themselves up to a myriad of outcomes that are dependent on how certain challenges are overcome. In retrospect, these are character-building moments that provide enrichment.

Being at the edge of your limits, often in both a mental and physical sense, and overcoming the discomfort associated with Type II fun can lead to increased resilience and self-confidence, intensifying the desire for adventure, while making you feel more alive than ever.

Why wait?

At Blend Group, we strive to provide our clients with once-in-a-lifetime moments, and type II fun experiences are a surefire way of achieving this goal. Whether you’re interested in organising a round-the-world sailing expedition, hiking one of the Seven Summits or experiencing extreme white-water kayaking, we can put together a luxury Type II fun experience tailored to your individual requirements.

You may not recognise the benefits while doing it, but the sense of achievement, retrospective fun and stories you’ll be able to tell will more than atone. Please get in touch with us here if you’d like to start planning your very own Type II fun experience.