The Wall Street Journal ran an article last week on an activity for adults that is quickly gaining popularity—adult sleepaway camps. The camps are touted as a way to take a break from the stresses of everyday life, try out new things, and make new friendships with other adults who are there to do the same—and sessions are quickly selling out. What's behind this popularity?

The benefits of indulging in something purely for fun and self-enrichment are well known. Leisure activities are associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety and can result in an increased sense of well-being. Leisure helps us manage stress and bolsters our self-esteem. The catch? We need to allow ourselves to indulge in leisure activities without feeling guilty about it, which positive media coverage of adult sleepaway camp can help with. Normalizing play and leisure as not just for children can reduce feelings of guilt and allow the full benefits of leisure activities to come through.

While adult sleepover camps are a new phenomenon, fans have been engaging in a leisure activity that offers some of the same benefits for many decades, which can help to further normalize this new activity—fan conventions.

Fan conventions, unlike adult sleepover camps, are not a new phenomenon. The first fan convention, the World Science Fiction Convention, was held in 1939 and has continued ever since. Comic-Con in San Diego began in 1970 and draws over 130,000 fans every year, and there are........

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