We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
- George Bernard ShawWhen's the last time you played? I mean, really played, like a kid at recess squeezing every last precious second out of your freedom from boring arithmetic lessons? Play is one of the most forgotten elements of being a human. Today, even kids are losing their grasp on play (though generally not through any fault of their own). Issues over children and play frequently pop up in the news, with American schools cutting down on recess time, and parents and advocates speaking out in protest of such playtime cuts, touting the virtues of free play for the mental and physical health and development of children. As a society, we seem to have lost touch with play and how integral it is to the human experience.
But I'm assuming that if you're reading this, you're not a child, and in this post I'm primarily interested in addressing play for adults. When it comes to abandoning play, adults are the greatest offenders. Play has become an afterthought, prioritized about as much as cleaning the dust behind the refrigerator and going to the dentist. Many adults even scoff at play as something that's "for kids," suggesting that adults ought to hold themselves "above" such impractical pursuits that are done for the mere joy and pleasure of it. But I think we've got it all wrong. I think that play is not only valuable for adults and children alike—I believe it is an absolutely essential part of living a fulfilled life.
So what is play? Well, it's difficult to pin down because play is, at its essence, spontaneous and uninhibited (the quintessential idea of play that comes to my mind is Calvinball, in which the only permanent rule is that it can't be played the same way twice). Play, as I see it, is something which is done for the fun of it, not for practical reasons—it is "purposeless," done for no reason other than enjoyment (though many practical benefits do derive from play by accident). In this sense, play is also very much a state of mind. The same thing can be both play or not play, depending on one's mindset. For example, a pickup game of basketball in which the focus is fun with friends would be play, whereas an NBA championship game in which the players are concerned primarily with the outcome (winning vs losing), and less so with how much they enjoy the experience, would not be play. Play can be both mental and physical, and can be done solo or with others. It is generally competitive in some capacity, even if the competition is only with oneself. Play is also a reprieve from duty and work—an opportunity to move and act and think freely, without extrinsic restraints and without obligation. Play can take countless, unique forms: anything from seeing how long you can hold a handstand, to participating in an organized co-ed basketball league, to playing "don't touch the lava" on the playground, to running through fresh snow. Regardless of what it looks like, play should be done because you want to, free from responsibility, practicality, and demand. It may seem a bit ironic to have a list of reasons (which in and of themselves are practical) to do something that is supposed to be done only for pleasure, not pragmatism. But we humans are funny animals, and sometimes it takes practical reasons to get us to do something that, at its core, is not supposed to be practical; so here are 8 reasons that you should start playing more, today.
- Play relieves stress. There are no shortage of perceived stressors in the world today. The media bombards us with daily horror stories and gloom-and-doom outlooks for the economy, world relations, and national health. In addition, work and personal finances are a constant stressor, and with our advances in technology and connectivity, the pressures of work can now follow us home easier than ever before. So how do we get a break from this stress? Play! Play gives our minds a break from thinking about the stressors of daily life, and many forms of play involve physical activity, which is known to relieve stress. Play has also been shown to reduce stress hormones and lower blood pressure. The more we are stressed, the harder it may be to find time and motive to play, but the more we truly need it. I am reminded of a great quote about meditation: "You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day — unless you're too busy; then you should sit for an hour." I believe the same applies to play. Think you're too busy to play? That probably means you need to play more.
- Play improves our health. This one piggybacks easily on play's ability to relieve stress. Numerous studies have shown that chronic stress has catastrophic effects on our bodies, and therefore the stress-relieving effects of play will carry over into improving general health and well-being. In addition, play encourages physical activity, releases endorphins, and fosters social interaction, all of which positively contribute to our health. Studies have shown direct positive relationships between physically active leisure and physical and mental health and well-being. Other studies on play deprivation have demonstrated the tremendous influence of play on mental health, with deprivation being associated with a myriad of mental and emotional health problems such as depression, lack of adaptability, lack of self-control, predisposition to violent or addictive behaviors, and relationship problems.
- Play helps our productivity. This one may seem a bit outlandish at first glance, but taking time off of work to play can actually boost your productivity. A study at Cornell University found that workers were more productive when they were received reminders to take regular breaks. In addition, a study out of New Zealand demonstrated that after a vacation, workers had large increases in productivity and performance, better outlooks, and lowered heart rate. Additionally, Netflix and Brazilian company Semco have instituted "unlimited vacation" policies with great success, finding greater worker satisfaction, loyalty, and overall productivity. Whether it's a quick game of frisbee in the park, a round of "trash bin basketball" in the office, or a two week vacation to the Bahamas, more play seems to mean higher quality work.
- Play gets us moving. While not all play involves intense physical activity, most types of play involves some movement, and it often gets us into the great outdoors. There are volumes upon volumes of evidence demonstrating the mental and physical health benefits of regular physical activity and time spent outdoors. In a time when our rear ends spend about 90% of their time smashed into an office chair, car seat, and plush couch, we need every excuse we can find to get ourselves moving. In addition, play gives us a chance to find joy in movement. The ability to move is such a fundamental and yet oft-forgotten element of the human experience—it is a type of knowing and a way of experiencing. Yet for so many of us, the blessing of movement is squandered and ignored. Ask anyone who has lost a limb, who has lost movement or control in part of their body, who has had their ability to move permanently altered in some way, and they will tell you how much we take for granted our ability and freedom to move. Play gives us a chance to enjoy and relish in our movement. Dancing, running, dribbling, throwing, running, rolling, jumping, spinning, wrestling, balancing—our bodies are built to move, and when we play we can find joy and insight in that movement.
- Play connects us to others. While some play is done solo, most involves playing with others, either in competition or cooperation. Research shows that play is of central importance in the development of social and emotional intelligence in children, and that it helps to improve cooperation, communication, and empathy. However, similar benefits extend to adults. Research on "rough and tumble" play has shown that when we play, we are able to test our relationships, to simultaneously cooperate and compete, to develop trust, and to explore boundaries. Play is very much a social activity, and it often acts as a safe space in which we can explore and develop the social skills that we rely heavily on in "real life" situations with graver consequences. Cooperative play (whether strictly cooperative or competitive against another team) teaches us how to communicate in numerous ways, helps us develop trust, and challenges us to support and encourage others.
- Play fosters creativity and exercises our mind. Play is as much (if not more) a mental exercise as a physical one. Play requires problem solving and assessment of challenges and situations, it gives us opportunities to creatively find solutions, and it is a chance to simply create without the externally-imposed restrictions. The freedom of play makes it very much a creative endeavor. I often think of how children free play, making up new rules as they go and cooperating (and often competing) to develop an objective and negotiate challenges or obstacles. Play also exercises the imagination: imagining a historical event you are reenacting, imagining a new gymnastics or dance routine, or imagining a new design for a snow fort. Stuart Brown, a psychologist who has devoted his studies to the role of play throughout the lifetime of humans as well as other animals, provides considerable evidence for play's integral role in developing and shaping our brains both in childhood and adulthood. Somewhere along the way we got it into our heads that our mental abilities only grow in the classroom or with our noses in a textbook, but this couldn't be further from the truth.
- Play is in our blood. Humans naturally want to play. Look at how kids behave when left to their own devices (and when not captivated by electronic devices): they sprint and jump and hang, their imaginations run at full steam, they cooperate, they engage in friendly competition, they test their physical and mental abilities, and they are unconcerned with the passage of time or stresses of life (it of course helps that kids don't have taxes to worry about). Some scientists believe that play has a role in sexual selection, and therefore tied to our evolution and development as a species. Psychologist Dr. Peter Gray postulates that play has been integral to humans developing into what we are today, with our social, cooperative, and problem-solving abilities unparalleled by anything else in the animal kingdom. Play was a large part of hunter-gatherers' lifestyle. After making a kill or gathering food, they would have unrestrained leisure time—they would play. Today, however, we are more likely to commit our "leisure" time to work-related activities, flopping in front of the television, or doing housework.
- Play helps us explore ourselves and the world. A large part of play is exploring the world and what we are capable of doing in this world—not because someone has asked us to, and not because we are focused on winning a competition—but because it is satisfying and we want to. "I wonder if I can swing from this branch to that one." "Let's see if I can make this basket from half-court." "I bet I could throw this stone half way across the lake." "I wonder if I could make a catapult with this scrap material I have lying around the garage." Play is a time to explore and enjoy our human abilities, physical and mental, without obligations and pressures. It is a time to get lost in just being human. And in this sense, personal growth is very much a part of play. When we play, we are not focused on becoming better, on reaching some concrete goal, or on scores or numbers or statistics. We are just focused on doing what we are doing and enjoying it. But unthinkingly, as a happy accident, we contribute to understanding the world, getting to know ourselves, and leading fulfilling lives.
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Strong of heart, strong of mind, strong of swole.
