SWNYBOWLING by Max Knoblauch
New York office - 646-873-7565 / usnews@swns.com
NEWS COPY - WITH VIDEO & INFOGRAPHIC
American adults are experiencing a fun drought. New research reveals the average adult experiences 131 days of BOREDOM a year.
A new study of 2,000 Americans examined how frequently in adult life we experience days with no fun at all and found the typical respondent experiences more than a third of their year as boring, dreaded or specifically not fun days.
Results also showed 60 percent of adults believe their life is too “grown-up” and 73 percent miss aspects of their childhood, like time with friends (50 percent), less responsibilities (52 percent), or birthday parties (25 percent).
It seems that work, parenting, and other full-time responsibilities are sapping the fun out of American adults and making them feel a bit too, well, adult.
In fact, the research shows many adults would rather do more childlike fun activities than the mature options they’re stuck with. 39 percent of adults polled said they’d prefer to go bowling over an exercise class, and one in five grown adults would rather have a sleepover with friends than go to the movies.
The survey, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Bowlero, also found that more than one in four adults would choose going to the arcade over going to brunch -- avocado toast and mimosas have nothing on Pac Man.
But no matter how much they want to, adults still struggle to have fun on a regular basis, and more than one in five respondents found 2018 less fun than the previous three years. Stress levels also play a role in the fun drought - a majority (49 percent) of adults found 2018 more stressful than 2017, and approximately 30 percent of the average day is stressful.
“Fun is really about the escape – breaking away from daily stressors and focusing on enjoying the moment,” says Bowlero Corp’s Chief Customer Officer Colie Edison. “From bowling and arcade games to laser tag and billiards, when you enter a Bowlero center you’re instantly brought into a world of play.”
The survey revealed that gamified activities, or activities with a natural ‘play’ component, ranked high for Americans, with 42 percent stating they would enjoy bowling, arcade games (32 percent), and board games (47 percent).
The top fun-inhibiting factors include entertainment costs (36 percent), energy level (35 percent), and too much work (32 percent). Americans spend approximately $303 a month on fun activities -- just over $3,500 a year. This number increases for parents, who spend approximately $5,000 on fun every year. Other factors include planning pains – 66 percent find selecting an activity that everyone will enjoy difficult.
“Bowlero centers are designed to elevate the guest experience into something we call social-tainment – which is all about having fun together – no matter how old you are,” says Edison. “There are very few activities that everyone can participate in and enjoy regardless of age or skill level, but bowling delivers all of the above.”
When American adults do find the time to have fun, they most often have it with their partner/spouse (56 percent), children (42 percent), siblings (29 percent), or coworkers (26 percent).
“Bowling is an activity that can be enjoyed by everyone,” says Edison. “It’s really rewarding to work for a company that sells fun and entertainment to all.”
CALCULATIONS
The 131 boring days a year figure was calculated by converting the average “percentage of a typical week that is not fun/boring/dreaded” - 36 percent - into hours per week. 60.48 hours, multiplied by weeks in a year and then converted into days equals 131.04 boring/not fun days in a year.