All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

After the hosts joke around in the first few minutes of an episode about The Shining, the listener hears low, spooky notes on a piano, with Kendrick repetitively singing the phrase “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” which she says “conveyed the creepiness of that story.”

Search online “work too much” and you’ll get screenfuls of information about the harmful medical, mental and social consequences of spending too much time on the job, going all the way back to that old saw first recorded in the 17th century, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

"That saying 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy' is silly, but it's true. You need to move around and stimulate yourself. Some people can still get out and play golf to get into a quieter mental space, but even if you're limited to your living room or backyard, you can still create games that let you immerse yourself," says Lardon.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so the old proverb goes.

In Hollywood, it has famously transcended being a thing to become almost a character: In movies from "The Shining" — "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" — and "All the President's Men" to "Schindler's List."