Neuroscientists, developmental biologists, psychologists, social scientists, and researchers from every point of the scientific compass now know that play is a profound biological process. It has evolved over eons in many animal species to promote survival. It shapes the brain and makes animals smarter and more adaptable. In higher animals, it fosters empathy and makes possible complex social groups. For us, play lies at the core of creativity and innovation.

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Nearly every one of us starts out playing quite naturally. As children, we don’t need instruction in how to play. We just find what we enjoy and do it. (..) At some point as we get older, however, we are made to feel guilty for playing. We are told that it is unproductive, a waste of time, even sinful. The play that remains is, like league sports, mostly very organized, rigid, and competitive. We strive to always be productive, and if an activity doesn’t teach us a skill, make us money, or get on the boss’s good side, then we feel we should not be doing it. Sometimes the sheer demands of daily living seem to rob us of the ability to play.

The skeptics among the audiences I talk to will say, “Well, duh. Of course you will be happy if you play all the time. But for those of us who aren’t rich, or retired, or both, there’s simply is no time for play.” Or they might say that if they truly gave in to the desire to experience the joy of free play, they would never get anything done.

This is not the case. We don’t need to play all the time to be fulfilled. The truth is that in most cases, play is a catalyst. The beneficial effects of getting just a little true play can spread through our lives, actually making us more productive and happier in everything we do.

//Stuart Brown, Christopher Vaughan, Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul