Why Play Isn’t Just For Children

"Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold." –Joseph Chilton Pearce "It's better to play than do nothing," Confucious Do you remember what it's like to play with abandon like a 9 year-old child?

I ask you this question because as adults, we're all in serious need of a major "play" overhaul. Let's face it – we take life too seriously and forget that playing and having fun is just as important as working hard and being responsible.

You've probably heard that children laugh 400 times a day up to 4 years old, while adults laugh 15 or fewer times a day.



According to research, laughter originated in primates before humans and it represents a universal sign of happiness in a playful situation.

Unfortunately, today's society is more interested in overall productivity and performance and play and laughter is perceived as frivolous.

When this belief trickles down to the workplace, it's not beneficial to the company. One of the common reasons for low productivity at the workplace is due to a dull and non-motivating work atmosphere. Employees get frustrated and don't work as hard.

When employees aren't allowed to have fun and be creative and offer their ideas, they get uninspired and stop caring for the company. Thus, the sales dip and the company eventually goes into a tailspin unless positive intervention occurs. In today's society, it's not enough to do the same thing day in and day out; businesses that show innovation and are eager to learn and grow achieve more success.

Trend-setting companies are realizing the value of creativity and input, exploration and having fun, and they are looking to employees that embody these philosophies.



Before children become 'brainwashed' by society, they are born to play.

It's not just humans that love to play. This activity shows up with mammals such as puppies. Often, you see dogs play-wrestling and jumping on each other and they will go as far as play-biting each other's ankles and neck.

Lions and other mammals will play-wrestle and chase each other. This helps them bond and hones their physical skills for hunting and survival.

Humans aren't much different from other animals. If you witness four-year-olds at playschool, you'll see play at its finest. It's here that children learn about dominance and submission, aggression and calmness, group and individual play and being creative with painting, drawing, building, talking and much more. They learn about trust and relationships and bonding – key elements for a successful adult life.

To the casual adult observer watching children at 'play,' they don't see the significance of the actions, but when children goof around, they are learning about the world. They are developing trust, forming relationships, dreaming, getting creative and creating boundaries. They are also laying a critical foundation for their adult years by engaging in hobbies and activities and discovering their strengths and weaknesses.

Most famous and great musicians, artists, writers and athletes discovered their passion and talents when they were children and honed these skills, practiced diligently and perfected their skills. Some children pursued their passions as adults while others designated these activities as weekend hobbies to help relax and have fun.

Research shows the most creative time in a person's life is when they are five years old. From this point on, the fervent human imagination is whittled down by school, peers, relatives and society.

When you're five, you can take a rocket ship to space or save the world. By the time you're nine years old, schoolyard bullies are making fun of you for believing you can take an imaginary ship to space and solve all the world's problems.

We've become a hypersensitive, politically correct society based on appearances and minimal substance and the passion, fun and creativity we possess has been chipped away from our souls.

This lack of play is evident when you study today's children and then research children from 30 years earlier. Children don't have as much playtime now as they're engaged in numerous extra-curricular activities that are too structured to emulate spontaneous play. There's often incredible pressure in after-school activities. Sadly, we're becoming a "play-less" society.

Play is critical to children and also to your happiness and stress level.

You should have at least one activity you do regularly just for fun. Hobbies provide a fun way to minimize stress, sharpen skills and demonstrate your creativity. When you get inspired by a fun activity, your brain slows down and goes into a semi-hypnotic state which makes you feel in the "flow" where you lose track of time and feel relaxed. The most creative moments often happen during this time.

If you find a hobby you love and spend time doing it, you may be able to turn your hobby into a career and end up with a lifestyle where work is play. What could be better than this?

With today's stressful lifestyles, it's important to make time to do something fun every day – if only for a few minutes.

Some ideas of things you can do include: gardening, photography, crossword puzzles, acting, singing, drawing, painting, playing an instrument, writing, playing sports, being outdoors, playing with children and playing board games.

Playing is no longer child's play – in fact children don't have enough time to play. This should change and you can be the catalyst in changing society's need to eliminate play. After all, "All work and no play makes Jack (or Jill) a dull boy (or girl).



Why Play Isn’t Just For Children - To learn more about this author, visit Lisa Rickwood's Website.

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