Play Is Serious Business

Playing brings joy. It is vital for problem solving, creativity, and relationships. 

In his book, “Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul”, author and psychiatrist Dr. Stuart Brown compares the necessity of playing to our need for oxygen.

Dr. Brown is the founder and director of the National Institute of Play, and he has shown through solid scientific evidence from various areas of knowledge that play is not only important in childhood but throughout life.

Play is present all around us, but it usually goes unnoticed or unappreciated until…we look around and realise we do not have it!

Do you know all the things that are part of the spectrum of the word “play”? Play is woven into nearly all aspects of our lives. It is in art, books, movies, music, humour, jokes, stories, daydreaming, creating and imagining, laughing, and inventing.

Playing is part of life, and life is a game. “We are the finite players in the infinite game of life”, says Simon Sinek in his book The Infinite Game.  

There are so many benefits of play. Play helps us to be more cheerful, intelligent, flexible, and resilient. It connects us with others and favours learning.

It keeps us functional and alert in stressful situations and helps us alleviate stress. It encourages teamwork and accentuates learning.

Play helps us see problems from new perspectives and activates our creative capacity. It teaches us how to manage unpleasant emotions and experiences and transform them into something positive. It also increases energy and helps us avoid burnout.

How can we welcome play into our adult life?

Maybe we should start by changing the way we think about play. We don’t need to play every second of the day to enjoy its benefits. Give yourself permission to play every day. For example, the game may mean talking to your dog, cat or plants.

Play can be reading aloud or reading to your partner. Recall memories. What did you do when you were a child? What amused you? Did you play alone or with others? Or both? How could you recreate those times today?

Surround yourself with playful people. It’s important to choose friends with a playful spirit and play with your loved ones.

Listen to music in the car and dance. Watch funny shows and programs and read things that make you laugh.

Share your games and favourite things to play with the children in your life. Your enthusiasm for play will be contagious when children see your excitement. And don’t just show them, play with the little ones. Playing with children helps us experience the magic of play  from their perspective.

Play is a simple concept, but it means so much. Play is the gateway to vitality. By its very nature, play is intrinsically rewarding. It generates optimism, seeks novelty, leads to mastery, gives the immune system a boost, stimulates empathy, and promotes a sense of belonging and community.

Just as children need to play to help eliminate stress, and teens to socialise, adults need to play to have a better attitude towards work, parenthood, marriage—a better life overall!

Instead of seeing play as a waste of valuable time, from now on, look at it as a great investment in your own well-being.

Are you ready to start playing?

Watch Clemencia’s

Brain-Friendly Channel

Session

When: Mar 28 2022 5PM GMT-6
Hosted: Ricardo González, LATAM President, About my Brain Institute
Guest: Clemencia Gonzalez Silveyra, Director of Learn Human & Specialist in the Art of Play

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