Every situation has a silver lining – discover a mindset that heals and enlightens.
October 7, 2021 · 7 min read
Some people find happy people very annoying. However, this only serves to amuse happy people. - Wayne Gerard Trotman
Being easily amused is something that is not born with but actually learnt. It has to do a lot of with a person’s perception about the world.
However, does it mean that if you are easily amused you are less intelligent than others?
Are you more simple-minded than those who are serious all the time?
Here we will reveal the answers to the questions and bust the myths.
10 Signs you’re easily amused
This is how you can tell if you are easily amused:
- You laugh at every goofy thing.
- You can’t understand why others don’t get a joke.
- People think you’re nuts.
- You find a lot of things fascinating.
- You enjoy even smallest gifts.
- You can turn a bad situation into a funny one.
- People enjoy your company.
- You don’t overthink much.
- You live in the moment.
- You like to help others.
There are a few exceptions to these signs and I’ll explain you about them further in the myths section.
What does it mean if you are easily amused?
To be easily amused means almost effortlessly getting entertained and finding things enjoyable. Such people are more laid back, care less about public opinions, and are not afraid to show being easily entertained.
The core reasons why people are not easily amused is because they overthink, are afraid of others’ opinions, or are just too over-exposed to entertainments which results in lack of interest in simple enjoyable things.
Why do people get easily amused?
The main reason why people get easily amused is because they live in the moment. Such people don’t need to achieve big successes, goals to be excited and be happy. Life is wonderful and they appreciate and are grateful for simple, kind moments that life provides them.
I've always been energetic, loved life and have always been easily amused by things. - Kyle Carpenter
For an instance, just by waking up and seeing outside a fine, sunny weather enlightens them and that sets the foundation for the rest of the day. These simple acts of gratitude shows that they enjoy the life and don’t take everything for granted.
Myths about being easily amused
There is no general formula for every person, but these are my observations about easily entertained people.
- Easily amused people have lower IQ. I have in my close social circle an orthodontist, prosthodontist, anesthesiologist, engineers in various fields, physicians, laser physicists, and even a couple of scientists. Since I know them personally, I can tell that they’re easily amused and don’t require extra effort to be entertained. Hence, easily amused people don’t necessarily have lower intelligence.
- Easily amused people don’t overthink. Enjoying life and overthinking might have correlation, but it’s a bad habit to put them in one box. Logic and entertainment are separate elements. I know plenty of people that think a lot and can still be easily entertained. The most important thing is to know how to separate these two elements.
- Easily amused people are slightly weird and crazy. Every person is weird if he lives by different standards than you do. I wouldn’t classify this group of people as weird or crazy. Instead, I’d put them into a category that describes lightness of spirit. They have found themselves and what works the best for them.
- Easily amused people are too simple-minded. There’s a stereotype that their minds are plain and not complex. That’s because they are easily entertained by goofy things. However, that’s a false assumption. Having a sense of humor and a touch of enjoyment for life is crucial for everyone. Sometimes people that feel easily amused are too tired of complexity, mediocre talks, and need to unwind by having a good laugh.
We say that we want peace of mind but what we really want is peace from mind. - Naval Ravikant
- Easily amused people aren’t creative. Just because they are easily entertained doesn’t mean that they aren’t creative. Creativity doesn’t transfer to every life situation and field. It might happen only in a few or one field that you are not aware of.
For an instance, if you judge creativity based on complexity of a sentence, small talks, that’s too little evidence to assume level of creativity. People might be creative in music, arts, or other skills and hobbies they possess.
- Easily amused people don’t have ambitious goals. Easily entertained people have one of the most beautiful families. They are loving, caring, and have a good sense of lightness to life. This trait helps them also to climb career ladder as they are more likable than those who are serious all the time. In other words, they have soft skills which are extremely important in reaching ambitious goals.
Is it good or bad to be easily amused?
It’s good to be easily amused. It means you know how to enjoy life and be happy. You enjoy the present and can brighten others’ day and spread positivity in your environment.
If you’ve read everything above, you must’ve seen this coming.
The ultimate life goal is to be happy. If you are happy, you stress less, you have friendlier environment around yourself, you should have a good relationship with your significant other, which translates to longevity and happiness according to a study.
A lot of people find it amusing when they see another person that is feeling amused. That’s like a domino effect. People get inspired and their spirits are uplifted. Happiness is spread around even if others are just mildly amused. That’s enough to change the world.
On the other hand, if you find it very hard to be amused by simple acts of kindness, it could mean that:
- You’re overthinking too much about others’ opinions about you.
- You’re exposed to abundance of entertainment and have developed to it tolerance.
- You’re stressed and depressed.
- You’re not grateful for life opportunities.
- You don’t have a definition for your happiness.
The person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused. - Shirley MacLaine
Happiness is achievable through very simple things. However, it’s just as simple as not to do simple things.
Happiness is a choice and a state of mind.
In the further section I’ll be explaining how to be more amused and a happier person.
5 Ways To Be More Amused
1. Ease your mind
You’ve probably heard this before, but you should highly consider the power of meditation.
Meditation can help you with a few things at the same time:
- Reduce anxiety and depression levels.
- Feel at peace with yourself.
- Have a better focus.
The main idea of the meditation is to practice it mindfully. That’s one of the ways to ease your mind.
Therefore, you need to find a place where you’d feel comfortable. Then, sit down with a straight back, relax your shoulders, close your eyes and focus on deep and slow breathing.
Here’s a video that can introduce you to the essence of meditation:
2. Switch to positive mindset
Having a negative or a scarcity mindset hurts and poisons you. It could be also that you don’t feel alive and nothing excites you anymore.
One of the best ways to bring some positivity in your life is to spend time with positive people. They will show you what it’s like to be highly amused and how to enjoy the environment and surroundings.
Another way is to tackle with the problem directly – identify the areas which make you think negatively.
Have a good thought when you feel most indecisive, unsure.
You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. - Marcus Aurelius
If you can’t really tell in what areas are you negative at, ask your close friends or family. There’s no shame in trying to improve your outlook and personality. Therefore, don’t hesitate and feel free to ask.
Don’t forget to start your day with positive thoughts. Tell yourself a positive affirmation that today is going to be your perfect day, or that you are really looking forward for a tasty dinner. You can also turn up your favorite music and charge some positivity.
Finally, don’t be afraid to compliment a friend or your family member. They’ll appreciate your effort and you’ll also make their day much better.
3. Think about others’ opinions less
It’s a social norm in western culture to be self-aware and always be conscious of what other people think about you. It could lead you to be trapped in your mind and feel hopeless.
Understand that others are very self-conscious too. They are busy with their own minds and insecurities. If it happens that you are meeting new people, you must understand that they will also be worried how they will look to you.
Stop trying to be perfect for the sake of others. Impressions are very important and it’s hard not to think about being perfect in front of someone’s eyes.
However, as you might have one perception of perfection, the other person might understand perfection differently. You really can’t tell how the other person thinks. Therefore, just be yourself and enjoy the moment.
Take a chance to be vulnerable. Remember that you can’t let go of insecurities if you are too self-conscious all the time. You have to risk it and embrace new experiences. You improve yourself only when you adopt growth mindset.
4. Get inspired
Let yourself get motivated.
- Turn the volume up and listen to positive music.
- Read or watch stories about act of kindness.
- Call your friend and ask what’s the nicest thing he has ever done.
- Get out of comfort zone and do something different.
Sometimes we just need a little push to change our lives for the better. You can never know if the next little push will be the one that will change perception of your life.
Usually, the best way to feel amused is to do something differently that you haven’t ever experienced. That can trigger your alertness for happiness and you might be more sensitive to small acts of happiness.
Try to embrace something new, such as a hot air balloon flight, scuba diving, having a two-day trip on a bicycle, trying a new recipe, and other things that might excite you.
5. Rewire your brain
Did you know that only 10% of your happiness depends on the actual environment and 90% depends on how you perceive it?
That’s what the psychologist Shawn Achor has told in one of his Ted talks. I highly recommend watching this engaging video before further reading the article.
To put it simply, the perception of your world matters the most for your well-being. If you are not happy with everything or nothing excites you, that’s not the problem with the environment. It might be a problem with your perception of the world.
The problem in modern society is that a lot of people are driven by goals and achieving successes. However, once people achieve them, happiness is non-existent or lasts for very short period of time.
This occurs because you didn’t enjoy the whole process and you didn’t notice the gradual buildup of your success. It could also be that your perception about success has changed in the process.
Every time your mind shifts, your world shifts. - Byron Katie
The main task is to reverse the false perception about successes and start thinking positive in the present.
When you are thinking positively your productivity, happiness levels jump through the roof. It can help you in career and relationships immensely.
According to Shawn Achor, these are the steps that you have to practice doing:
- Being grateful. Write down 3 things that brought within you the feeling of gratitude in the last 24 hours. You have to do that for at least 21 days.
- Journaling. Writing about 1 positive thing that occurred in your day allows you to experience it again.
- Exercising. Doing physical activities are proven to help you be happier and feel about yourself better.
- Meditating. Focusing only on 1 thing will allow you to be at peace with your mind.
- Doing random acts of kindness. To create a structured mind that finds joy and is happy, you have to train it by giving something away to others (volunteering, saying compliments…)
That’s how you can rewire your brain and leverage happiness to your advantage. As previously mentioned, happiness is very simple and is a choice. If you pick happiness over sadness and grief, you’ll experience delightfulness and will feel amused.
Final Words From Delightful Mindset
Amusement is a very beneficial trait for our mind to be happy. If you allow yourself to feel amused, you’ll certainly relieve the stress and feel more in peace with yourself.
Feeling easily amused doesn’t mean that you are worse person than someone that is being serious all the time. It means that your personality and perception is different about the world. You know how to make simple things fun and leverage them to your happiness advantage.