"The opposite of play is not work, it’s depression.” (Dr. Stuart Brown)
We all understand, on some level, the value of play: the pleasure it brings, the escape it offers, the bond it creates. Regardless of our field or background, most of us have an emotional understanding of play (put simply, we enjoy it). Here at Play for Peace, we encourage play as a means of connection, pursuing the idea that play makes us kinder, gentler, and softer. In other words, we believe that the act of play breeds qualities that help create a more peaceful world. What we don’t always discuss in such depth is the science behind play.
There are several contemporary researchers exploring this topic. Take, for example, Dr. Stuart Brown. Brown founded the National Institute for Play, a not-for-profit organization “committed to bringing the unrealized knowledge, practices, and benefits of play into public life.” (NIFP, Page 1, Par. 1, 2014). The institution seeks to expand research into human play, promoting a greater presence of the topic within the scientific community. It envisions a world in which a scientific awareness of play is used to transform our school and our lives. Dr. Brown’s research provides one way of understanding violence. He initially explored his interest in the subject when he participated in a comprehensive study of Charles Whitman, the Texas Tower Murderer. In 1966, Whitman shot several family members before instigating a mass shooting at the University of Texas at Austin, killing and wounding dozens. By the end of the study, researchers felt that “the absence of play and a progressive suppression of developmentally normal play led him to be more vulnerable to the tragedy that he perpetrated” (Brown, Minute: 3:24 - 59, 2008).
Research also shows that play deprivation leads to poorer brain development. This behavior also has an animal precedent. In his well-known TED Talk, “Play is More Than Just Fun," Brown takes us through a sequence of photographs in which two tethered huskies, engaged in play, are approached by a polar bear. In most instances, the bear would have engaged in predatory behavior. In this instance, it recognized the play signals and participated. According to Brown, this demonstrates the ways in which “a differential in power can be overridden by a process of nature that’s within us all.” (Minute: 3:15 - 25, 2008). In other words, play can deter even the most natural predatory behaviors. And we play in many ways! We engage in object play - a practical act that can increase our problem-solving abilities (Brown, Minute 6:15 - 7:30, 2008).
We engage in social play, "rough-and-tumble" play, body play, imaginative play, spectator play, ritual play and more. We are primed, in so many ways, to carry out the act of play: according to Brown, it also has various benefits for the brain - assisting with emotional regulation, and helping to develop contextual memory (Minute, 9:50 - 12:30, 2008). And, thanks to Dr. Brown, the more we know, the more interest in play we see from the scientific community.
For more information, visit TED.com and watch his enlightening talks.
Have you played today? Wellness Wednesday is a new blog series we are now offering that explores the physical and emotional impact of the work we do on physical and emotional health.
REFERENCES
- Brown, Stuart (May 2008). “Play is More than Just Fun.” TED Talk. http://www.ted.com/talks/stuart_brown_says_play_is_more_than_fun_it_s_vital
- National Institute for Play (2014). “The Institute.” Official Website. http://www.nifplay.org
