The "Let's Have Fun" Urge

One more thought.

Connected with the experience of boredom, is a reaction to this experience--something which I like to call the "Let's Have Fun Urge".  Whereas boredom, in my experience, always comes before LHF, there are instances in which one can be bored and not have LHF.  Also, although a Behaviorist would/should argue that LHF will eventually die out, in my experience it does not.  It can continue for endless hours or even days if you let it.  Really, psychologically, it is very similar to the physical pain of, say, a canker sore.  It will remain omnipresent and constantly grate at your attention until you do something about it.

I very much like the analogy to a canker sore, it seems to suit the emotion very well...

However, while with boredom there might be a possibility of a cognitive shift of such an emotion to something more akin to 'mono no aware' or something similar...I have not found a similar strategy for LHF.  It is constant, annoying, and does not go away.  Now, the common response to this is, typically, to not let it go away.  And, instead, to succumb to it.  I really dislike this response.  I like to think that I'm not an automaton, that I'm not a slave to my desires.  And, at the very least, personal freedom is the most immediate aspect of one's self that remains readily amenable to be worked upon.