WRITTEN BY: Marilyn Barefoot
Play is a basic human need as essential to our well-being as sleep, so when we’re low on play, our minds and bodies notice.
Over time, play deprivation (a poverty of play) can reveal itself in certain patterns of behaviour: We might get cranky, rigid, feel stuck in a rut or feel victimized by life.
To benefit most from the rejuvenating benefits of play, we need to incorporate it into our everyday lives, “not just wait for that two-week vacation every year.”
What all play has in common is that it offers a sense of engagement and pleasure, takes the player out of a sense of time and place, and the experience of doing it is more important than the outcome.
Although some people may appear more playful than others, researchers say that we are all wired by evolution to play.
At work, play has been found to speed up learning, enhance productivity and increase job satisfaction. At home, playing together, can enhance bonding and communication.
Researchers have recently identified four types of playful adults:
Most adults spend the bulk of their waking hours working and earning an income, so making sure you experience some type of play is essential.
Here are a couple of ways you can easily incorporate play while you work:
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop
playing.” – George Bernard Shaw