About Entertainment

Something that provides amusement or distraction, usually involving a performance. The clown at a birthday party, the show on Broadway, your friends fighting over the last potato chip—all of these are forms of entertainment. Entertaiment comes from the French word entretenir, which means to hold together or support; it was originally associated with hospitality and caring for guests.

Entertainment evolves and can be adapted to any scale, from private activities for one person to global competitions among professionals. But some activities, like hunting or war, can be transformed into entertainment that is neither fun nor fair. The best entertainment often hits the emotional hot spots that our brains are shaped to respond deeply to.