This is the year to prioritize fun and play in your life. It may sound silly, but adults can benefit from play in numerous ways. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play, has dedicated his career to studying play and its positive effects on adults. Brown’s book, Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, argues that play has the power to make you smarter.
We could all benefit from more ‘smarts’, so why not make it fun? According to Brown:
- Play has been scientifically proven to be good for the brain: play stimulates nerve growth in the areas of the brain that process emotions and executive functions.
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Sometimes the best way to learn a complicated subject is to play with it.
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Physical play delays mental decline in old age. Try something as simple as hacky sack.
“During play, the brain is making sense of itself through simulation and testing,” Brown writes. “Play activity is actually helping sculpt the brain. In play, we can imagine and experience situations we have never encountered before and learn from them.”
This means that play has a direct role in creativity. “The genius of play is that, in playing, we create imaginative new cognitive combinations,” Brown continues. “And in creating those novel combinations, we find what works.”
For adults, improving your creative ability makes you a better problem solver. This is applicable whether you hold a job, are a stay-at-home parent, or a retiree — you likely solve several problems a day.
If you think you’re too old to learn new tricks, don’t forget you have an amazing “plastic” brain. Neuroplasticity refers to the ability of your brain to reconfigure neuronal circuits and speed up neural processes. With each new experience (thought, stimulus, or event) your brain slightly alters its physical structure. This means you can learn to like new food tastes, evolve your thoughts into more positive ones, and even train new motor skills through repeated thoughts. So it makes perfect sense that creative play could improve your cognitive habits and enhance performance when your creative skills are needed.
What forms of play can help your grown-up mind the best? According to Brown, play is a state of mind, not a specific activity. Therefore, consider what activities are easily accessible to you and allow for breaks during the day to incorporate some playtime.
One popular option is adult coloring books, which can offer a much-needed break to refocus on your tasks. Revisiting board games with friends or family can also be great fun and encourage plenty of laughter. As it turns out, laughing can improve your short-term memory and delay cognitive decline according to Tech Times. Just 20 minutes of laughter can lower your blood pressure and decrease your cortisol levels, the hormone connected to stress.
Regardless of your method, make sure to prioritize play in your life. It can be fun, fabulous, and good for your mental health!
