Post #1635330

2026-04-24 13:45 UTC

As a background we'll first recap the types of fun. Type 1 fun: Actually fun during the activity, the goal for most people. Type 2 fun: Fun in retrospect, but scarry or miserable during the activity. Trips involving type 2 fun often are described with the terms "sufferfest", "it was a solid one", and "maybe a bit sketchy". Often discussed quite favorably in hindsight and makes for a good story, "ok, yeah I would do that again". Over time type 2 fun may become type 1 fun as confidence, ability, or expectations adjust. Type 3 fun: Not fun during the activity, and not fun in hindsight. The goal is to never repeat type 3 fun. Examples of type 3 fun involve serious injuries, rescue teams, etc. Sometimes more severe examples type 3 fun can make for an interesting news article, or accident report.

Replies (5)

@rachel@transitory.social 2026-04-24 15:56

Next we can consider similar but distinct categories of mistakes: Type 1 mistake: Absolutely a mistake Type 2 mistake: A mistake in hindsight, but given the situation and information that was known at the time, the choice was the correct one to make. Type 3 mistake: Not a mistake, but a favorable result that is different from the expected result. In all cases the result needs to be different from the expectation for any of these to apply.

Open ##1635334
@rachel@transitory.social 2026-04-24 13:53

I was leading some friends up a scrambling route, a few summers back. I was having a blast climbing over rocks and looking for the path upwards. One friend on the hike explained "I don't know what I was expecting when you suggested this but let's never do this again". A week or two later they said "ok yeah, ya know what, that was fun and I'd be willing to try something else like that". The first time I had climbed that route years before, I nearly had a panic attack in the middle of the climb. Years later after more experience on rock and harder trails it was a blast.

Open ##1635336
@badnetmask@hachyderm.io 2026-04-24 13:51

@rachel Is this categorization backed by science somehow? 😄

Open ##1635337
@rachel@transitory.social 2026-04-24 13:49

I have attempted multiple times to achieve the type 2->type 1 conversion for running/jogging, and each time I have failed to keep up at it long enough to reach that point.

Open ##1635341
@smellsofbikes@mastodon.social 2026-04-24 13:47

@rachel type 2a: wasn't fun, isn't fun in hindsight, but you're optimistic that at some point it WILL seem fun in hindsight, maybe after you've recovered from the injuries.

Open ##1635343