Have you ever watched those delightful videos where animals are playing on YouTube or Instagram? For me, it leads to belly laughter and a happiness boost that has a residual impact for hours. Animals instinctively play. It is natural for human children too.
When you were a child, what were your favorite ways to play? When was the last time you just let loose and had fun engaging in an activity that was not “productive”? Just having fun for fun’s sake? Something happens in the transition from our teenage years to adulthood. We begin to think play is frivolous. Pointless. A waste of time.
Play is not frivolous. It is not a luxury. It is not something to fit in after completing all the important stuff. Play is the important stuff. Play is a drive, a need, a brain building must do! -Jeff Johnson and Denita Dinger, Let Them Play
Play is like a brain fertilizer. It helps activate certain key proteins involved with integrating information. Beneath the attitude of learning is the attitude of play. I don’t know about you, but during this pandemic, between my health concerns for myself and others as well as the need to isolate and socially distance, my sense of play has definitely diminished.
It was during my training to become a mindfulness teacher that I was reminded about the power of play in our personal lives and at work. Play creates a mindfulness state that enables us to block out other thoughts and to focus on the activity at hand. Play is often a moment-by-moment experience where we beam with vibrant energy.
Neuroscience and Play Humans are born with seven emotional processing systems, and play is hardwired in the midbrain. Thus, play is among our most basic instincts and motivations. Peter Gray, a professor of psychology at Boston College, shared during his TED talk that, play is nature’s way of ensuring we acquire the skills needed to successfully develop into adults. A life deprived of play leads to maladaptive behaviors and the inability to engage in social interactions without fear.
In play, we engage in a pleasurable activity rather than focusing on the outcome. And play nearly always involves social interaction. It's self-controlled and self-directed by the participants. Play helps us be more curious about obstacles and hindrances, experiment and learn, and take problems in stride. Play allows us to see things with fresh eyes and to connect with others.
The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect, but by the play instinct. - Carl Jung, Psychoanalyst
Research has found that play can be a great stress reliever, thwart depression, lower the risk of age-related diseases, boost lung function, and lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Play activates the vagus nerve, a cranial nerve that connects the brain to the peripheral nervous system and quiets the sympathetic nervous system (reducing adrenaline and cortisol release).
How Play Effects the Brain
Dr. René Proyer from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany has been studying play for decades. His team has identified four models of playfulness: other-directed, lighthearted, intellectual, and whimsical. Other-directed play is when you enjoy playing with other people. If you like lighthearted play, you probably don’t take life too seriously, and you like to improvise. Intellectual players like ideas and thoughts, like wordplay and problem-solving. And whimsical players like doing odd, unusual, and creative things.
And the kinds of play you most enjoy seem to be linked to your play personality. Dr. Stuart Brown has identified eight play personalities which are described on the National Institute of Play website. He believes individuals fit naturally into a few play personalities with a prominent preference or favorite form of play. I am definitely the Kinesthete and the Creator/Artist. I suspect Stuart is a Storyteller and Explorer.
Recapturing Play
Perhaps you are interested in carving out more time for play in your life and are looking for some ideas of what might suit you best. “Play is a basic human need as essential to our well-being as sleep, so when we’re low on play, our minds and bodies notice,” Dr. Brown says. Over time, play deprivation can reveal itself in certain patterns of behavior. We might get cranky, rigid, feel stuck in a rut, or feel victimized by life. To benefit most from the rejuvenating benefits of play, we need to incorporate it into our everyday lives, “not just wait for that two-week vacation every year.”
Classifying Play Pursuits: Type 1 and Type 2 Fun
Classifying fun might seems silly, detracting from spontaneity. Why do we need to categorize fun? But hang with me, as I am a fan of Type 2 fun and playtime!
Type 1 fun is about pure pleasure - what the Greeks called hedonia. It’s a cloudless sky on the slopes, picturesque sunsets, a glass of wine, and tubing on the water. It’s fun to think about, fun at the time. It is satisfying in the moment.
Type 2 fun involves challenge and struggle, but in retrospect, it is awesome! The Greeks called this kind of “fun” eudaimonia. It’s those hikes in Arizona that pushed me to my limits. For others, it’s preparing for a marathon. Essentially something that takes you out of your comfort zone. It builds character. It’s often an unpleasant experience in the moment, but as time passes, the more fondly we feel about it. Type 2 Fun allows us to move past the momentary discomforts, and it brings us long-term satisfaction.
We need both Type 1 and Type 2 fun in our lives. We need to engage in activities that are intrinsically pleasurable to us, even if those feelings are fleeting. And we also need to feel the satisfaction that comes from struggling and doing something difficult.
Rediscover Play
I have a Kinesthete play personality. So that’s why I enjoy practicing yoga and working out at 6 am with my buddies at CrossFit 601. And the creator in me likes to engage in hobbies like making mosaics.
Here are 8 ways adults can play more!
Decide what fun means to you. List the activities you enjoyed as a child and brainstorm an adult version. For example, if you liked climbing trees as a kid, perhaps rock climbing is something you’d like to do as an adult.
Be intentional about setting aside time for play. The goal of having more fun is just as important as goals like losing weight, starting a small business, or earning extra income. Plan for one day a week when you are going to have 2 hours of fun!
Create a play drawer at work. And use it during times when you need a work break and feel the need for some fun. Think Legos, Play-Doh, coloring, and puzzles.
Combine fun with other activities. Gamify exercise - like playing HORSE with your kids. Try a new exercise that you consider atypical but fun. Pole dancing, anyone?
Help organize a group (aka committee) at work that plans fun events and activities.
Make playtime an opportunity to connect with your significant other.
Not very creative? Befriend a fun person and follow her lead!
Hang out with kids. They know how to play and will be happy to have you join.
Looking for Some Play Time on the Mat or Feel Good Music Vibes?
Check out these yoga flows on the Yoga Apothecary YouTube channel - Wellbeing A to Z Series:
How we play is related, in myriad ways, to our core sense of self. Play is an exercise in self-definition; it reveals what we choose to do, not what we have to do. We not only play because we are. We play the way we are. And the ways we could be. Play is our free connection to pure possibility. - Estroff Marano
Community Connection
Comment and share. What is your play personality? What is one childhood play memory you want to reintroduce into your life? What’s something that you do just for the sheer enjoyment of it? What are some examples of Type 1 and Type 2 fun for you?
