Do You Know the Science Behind Playing? The Truth May Surprise You

Do You Know the Science Behind Playing? The Truth May Surprise You

Could the act of playing be beneficial to both the development of children, as well as the sustained happiness of adults?

 We often dismiss play as a “frivolous time wasting” activity that has no room in a professional world. In fact, our world has grown more serious today than ever before. Comedy is slipping through our fingertips, and seriousness is becoming the new laughter.

The problem with this kind of world is that it omits the overwhelming benefits packed in the science of play. Research from both game studies and psychology has suggested that in order for humans to process difficult things, they need to do it NOT through a serious lens… but through one of play.

That’s right, Dr. Gordon Neufeld, a development psychologist and best selling author, as well as the founder of Neufeld Institute in Vancouver, Canada, found that play creates a safe space for people to feel and process their emotions. When a child or human plays, they are engaging in something that isn’t serious, real, or work related. Therefore, they can feel their emotions, process their emotions in a safe space, and feel free to express their feelings without experiencing judgment.

The Emotional Playground

Dr. Gordon’s team refers to this as the emotional playground. As he says, “Play turns out to be the only form of activated rest that is available to us. At night, the emotions do not rest. They’re in charge of our dreams. They’re in charge of our memory encoding. So when do our emotions rest, when do they not have to go to work? When they are on the emotional playground.”

Further, Dr. Gordon’s team has discovered that feelings and emotions are not the same thing. As they describe, a feeling is the feedback of how an emotion is affecting our minds and bodies. When a person plays, the sensory gating system in the back of the brain can open up to the feelings as interpreted, which is what every human being needs.

Dr. Gordon isn’t the only one exploring this concept. The work of Eric Zimmerman and Katie Salen have explored the “magic circle,” which describes the imaginary space created by games, or a separate world that we create in our heads when we play and forget about everyday life. The magic circle is a way for people to safely explain their feelings and explore their emotions due to the property of play.

What Happens When Your Life is Devoid of Play?

As you can see, the science behind play is formidable. So what happens when your life is one serious concoction? Leading play scientists like Dr. Peter Gray and Dr. Stuart Brown have found that some of the country’s worst criminals are those that experienced play deprivation in their upbringing and now adulthood.

So what are ways in which adults can play and be truly devoid of responsibility? It’s not sporting events, which can place pressure on winning, but rather, activities like: jigsaw puzzles, listening/playing music, crafts, and art. Creating an emotional playground is absolutely essential to your mental well being and stability today.