.png)
It turns out that play expands our brain’s capacity to see new possibilities, engage in more flexible thinking, and be more creative. Which makes play an amazing tool that anyone who wants to be more creative can use to their advantage. Play? Yes, play. Can you believe it?
Let’s talk about creativity and play. Much of what I wanna share with you today I learned from someone I’m a big fan of, neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman. He is doing amazing work which I highly recommend.
So, let’s get clear first about the kind of activities we can see as play. Don’t see play just as purely kids' activities or sport-related activities, but see it, as Andrew Huberman puts it: “An exploration of possible outcomes” If I do A, what happens? If I do B, what happens?
These activities can include role-playing, social play, individual play, imaginary play, and sports-related activities. When it comes to sports-related activities you need something with novel movement meaning different speeds and angles of movement. So running and jump roping won’t count but volleyball or dodgeball would.
If the activity is competitive in nature it’s also good but there are a couple of important conditions. For it to still be regarded as play the stakes involved must be sufficiently low for the player to feel comfortable assuming different roles and exploring possibilities. And not be too concerned about actually winning.
So for example, if you were playing a normal game of monopoly with friends there is a degree of competitiveness but not too much depends on the game's outcome. You do it mostly to have a good time. That kind of competitive game is fine. However, if you were playing a high-stakes poker game where you stand to lose your home and all your life savings that is not the kind of activity that counts as play. Also, if you’re a professional athlete and you must win a game to advance your career that wouldn’t be the kind of play we're talking about here.
It’s important to get clear on what kind of activities count as play here because it’s only when we engage in the right kind of activity that the desired neurochemical reaction takes place in your brain.
Luckily for you, I don’t know enough about neurochemistry to bore you with it, so I’m just going to give you a very basic breakdown.
Play is generated through the connectivity of many brain areas but the key area is called the periaqueductal gray or PAG for short.The PAG is rich with neurons that make endogenous opioids, meaning opioids that are biologically produced by your own body. (not the manmade kind that has caused the opioid crises)
When we are in a mode of play small amounts of these opioids are released into the system which “ enables the prefrontal cortex to start seeing and exploring many more possibilities about how we interact with our environment, others, and the roles that we can assume for ourselves.
When we do it right play is powerful because it allows us to do the kind of flexible thinking needed to engage neuroplasticity and help us develop our creativity.
Isn’t that amazing? We often deny ourselves play in the name of professionalism, productivity, or whatever. The truth is we need to play. In fact, Dr Andrew Huberman recommends at least one hour of play per week. I would definitely go for more.
So now we can officially put play on our schedule and do it without feeling guilty. Some of the activities I love to take part in, which I am gonna be doing more of include playing beach bats, tennis, and some board games I like such as monopoly.
What are some play activities that you love to engage in? Please let us know in the comment section below.
If you have any questions or things you’d like to share please also do so in the comments below. I’d live to connect with you there.
Comentários