As adults, we often get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life. We have bills to pay, jobs to go to, and responsibilities to take care of. With so much to do, it can be easy to forget the importance of play.
But play is not just for kids – it is essential for adults as well. In fact, play can benefit us in many ways, including physically, mentally, and emotionally.
She was born on April Fool’s Day, and I always thought that made her sense of humor just a little bit better than everyone else’s. I am quite sure she is the one who most shaped my sense of humor, too. She is the one who introduced me to Monty Python, Dave Barry, and The Far Side. I watch my first Benny Hill and Mr. Bean sketches at her house, and she bought me a Dwight Schrute bobbled head for my first office. If you don’t recognize any of those names, please Google them right now, and let Grandma Lyn be the reason they are in your life, too!
One 2019 study found that agreeing with the statement “I have a philosophy of life that helps me understand who I am” was associated with fewer symptoms of depression and higher levels of happiness. Other positive psychology studies have shown that happiness drives success, not the other way around. If you want to feel fulfillment, you must first find your joy and flow state in play.
In our modern technologically advanced society, we need to go back to doing what we do best as humans, building connections between people, ideas, and things that computers can’t see. If we can program a robot or a machine to do a task, then we don’t need a human. If it requires emotional insight, empathy, creativity, or imagination, then it is up to us!
It has been the marketing and normalization of hard work, more money, and the need for power and respect that gets in the way. We have traded our play and happiness for time savings, shortcuts, things, and status symbols. We have optimized play out of our lives to try to afford the luxuries and happiness promised in advertising. There is no money to be made off of “free play” for all… I think you can see that in the ways that play is marketed and communicated in our society.
There are many ways to be more playful in your life. You might be an Athlete and love to move your body. You might be a practical joker or comedian. You might like to facilitate fun for other people as a director, creator, or storyteller. You might be an explorer, deep thinker, or collector. Regardless of how you find your playful state, doing more of what you love will lead to more confidence, creativity, connection, and physical and mental conditioning that will lead to greater levels of success in the rest of your life and work!
For my first Playful Humans newsletter, I thought it would be good to share my definition of play. Play – /plā/ verb: Engaging in an autotelic activity that is freely chosen, challenging, requires your full focus on the present moment, and…
Philosophers from Alan Watts to Plato have discovered the power of play and playing infinite games!
Great leaders know how important bonding time is and how social time can build relationships, combat loneliness and burn-out, and improve productivity through better communication and teamwork. However, in our current work-from-home and other remote work environments, team building…
I love this video and the experiment of watching adults try to play!
