Play helps us to be better problem-solvers, and to think more innovatively and creatively. It re-energises us, builds relationships, and helps to relieve stress. Play helps us to be more mindful, to remain present in the here and now, which is good for our overall well-being.
Researchers have also shown that nothing lights up the brain like play, which is probably why play has such a profound effect on us. Researchers say that play is hugely important in learning, and crafting the brain, just as sleep and dreaming is.
Think about a time when you were forced into play, either by your children, grandchildren, a pet, a playful friend, or at a fun workshop. What effect did it have on you? I know for me it is a good way to get stuck in the moment and still my mind.
Dr Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play, has spent decades studying the power of play with loads of different people, from prisoners to businesspeople to artists to Nobel Prize winners. An interesting finding was that a lack of play in childhood was just as important as other factors in predicting criminal behaviour among murderers in Texas prisons. He also found that playing together helped couples rekindle their relationship and explore other forms of emotional intimacy.
Play can even facilitate deep connections between strangers, and cultivate healing. Think about the success of clown doctors in many of our hospitals.
So how can you add play into your life? For a start, let's be sure what play actually is.
According to Brown, the essence of play is that you do it for its own sake. It doesn't have a particular purpose. Indeed, Brown says if its purpose is more important than the act of doing it, it's probably not play.
Playing at work is becoming increasingly more popular. Things I have read online include Nerf gun wars in the workplace, a game of charades before an important meeting, jokes being told to lighten the mood after a disappointing result, stuffed animals being thrown around the office, and nice messages being hidden in strange places for co-workers to find. My idea of heaven would be having a practical joke day once a month at work, funded by the organisation I worked for.
I also like the idea of playing with strangers. Imagine initiating a game of eye spy with other people that you are waiting in a line with. It would help the time pass and you may give yourself the chance to meet someone new. I reckon I'm going to try this soon.
Lots of countries around the world have cottoned on to the power of play. I have read that in Amsterdam they have jazz showers. You stand on a picture of a record on the ground and jazz music sprays down over you from a speaker that has been made to look like a shower head. In Canada, bus stops have swings to wait on instead of seats and, in the UK, many indoor adventure playgrounds designed for children have adults-only play sessions.
I use play at home to break a bad mood in me, my kids or my hubby. We will go for a race around the house, play hide and seek, play on the trampoline or play a game of charades.
We don't need abundant play to enjoy play's benefits. Brown refers to play as a catalyst. A little bit of play can go a long way towards boosting our productivity and happiness. Be brave, loose your inhibitions and allow yourself to play. It seems to me that play is as good as any medicine.
-A registered psychologist with a Masters in Applied Psychology, Wanganui mother-of-two Kristen Hamling is studying for a PhD in well-being at Auckland University of Technology
