WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM PLAYFUL LABRADORS

Two of my best friends are furry, silly and constantly wagging their tails. Gordon and Charlie are our 9 year old chocolate labradors that are naughty, disobedient, cheeky, loyal and full of unconditional love. Come rain or shine, every morning begins with a run or a walk with the dogs. No matter how cold or wet the weather is, how tired or busy I am, I always enjoy being out with my boys in the morning and it gives me a great start to my day. Every day they make me smile, sometimes laugh out loud, with their antics, their sheer joy at being outside, sniffing, exploring and no holds barred playing.

Play at a children’s nursery

Think about the contrast between the play environment at a children’s nursery and school, where play is slowly phased out of the mix. Nursery is often the first place a child goes for any length of time without their parents – and what an exciting place. Brightly coloured walls and smiling staff beckon in a messy and curious environment and children are encouraged to play and express themselves as they wish, just like Gordon and Charlie. Some get involved in everything whilst others choose to play quietly in a corner. Differences are acknowledged and children are encouraged to join in the hubbub of creativity as they learn and play at their own pace and in their own way. 

Play at school

That all changes when a child goes to school - at 4 years old in the UK - when even in the younger years the life becomes more ordered and routine. Children wear uniforms, they line up in playgrounds, they have their own desk, their books are organised neatly in their desks, the timetables are routine and lessons follow an agenda. The older a child gets, the less pictures they will see in books, the less time they will be able to run around the sports field, splash paint onto walls, play games and chat about their dreams. 

This is not to say that routine, order and discipline are bad in themselves, just that an emphasis on these tends to restrict and inhibit the natural play instinct.

Play matters in our lives

Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play and author of Play, How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul has gathered thousands of case studies that he calls play histories (1).  He believes that remembering what play is all about and making it part of our daily lives are probably the most important factors in being a fulfilled human being stating that “the ability to play is critical not only to being happy, but also to sustaining social relationships and being a creative, innovative person.”

We all start out playing naturally and from our play, we learn how the world works, how people interact, how exciting life can be. As we grow up, even sports or hobbies can become routinised, competitive and full of instructions which can take the joy out of free play.

In most cases play is a catalyst to new ideas, to productivity, to rebooting and finding some joy in the moment. It certainly isn’t something we should feel guilty about as adults or believe it to be the opposite to work. Brown says that life without play can be a grinding, mechanical existence organised around doing things necessary for survival - “play is the stick that stirs the drink… (it) is the vital essence of life. … We are designed to find fulfillment and creative growth through play.”

Research with rats shows play helps with resilience and sociability

Researchers at the University of Lethbridge in Canada reviewed multiple studies around the function of play in the development of the social brain in rats (2). Rough-and-tumble play, or play fighting, is common in the young of many mammals. Research on play fighting among rats shows that the more ancient brain structures mediate the motivation and behavior of play, and the cortex mediates the effect of play with age to refine into social skills.

Their findings strongly suggest that exposure to play directly and indirectly influences the development of the prefrontal cortex, and the dampening of emotional activity could be the vehicle play uses to train animals to be more resilient in an unpredictable world. They conclude that play trains rats to be resilient by modifying the neural circuitry that regulates emotional responses. As a result, rats that play as juveniles are more socially competent as adults.

A coaching story

I recently worked with a client who was bored and demotivated with his work, despite taking a recent promotion which he had worked hard to get. The research on play shone a light on the real reason he had lost his mojo. It was because he was no longer having fun and he recognised that the reason he enjoyed every second of his previous job was because it hadn’t felt like work. We discussed elements of his new role and how he could reframe them and shape them as energising, fun ways to spend his time, yet at the same time retain the stretch he had craved in taking the promotion.

A few final words on play. Remember that one size doesn’t fit all. We all define fun in different ways. What one person thinks is playful and fun may be someone else’s worst nightmare! We are all different.

When do you have fun or feel playful at work?

1: Brown, S., Vaughan, C. (2009). Play, How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul. New York, New York, Penguin.

2: Pellis, S. M.,Pellis, V. C., Bell, H.C. (2010). The function of play in the development of the social brain. American Journal of Play, 2 (3), 278 – 296.