When was the last time you played?
Is your first thought to that question, “I’m an adult, I don’t play” or “I’m not a kid, why would you even ask me that”. Fair enough – play is usually thought about as something only kids can and should undertake. In other words, it’s not for adults. Maybe those in their early twenties can have a pass and it’s ok for them to play from time to time, but after twenty-five it may be seen as frivolous. However, play is an often overlooked and underrated piece of mental well-being.
Perhaps it’s hard to imagine what play looks like for an adult. I take my daughter to the playground and while I enjoy myself, I wouldn’t categorise that as play for me. (At her current age, it’s more about making sure she doesn’t eat something she shouldn’t.) But here’s the interesting thing, play may be less of a particular action and more of a state of mind. According to the National Institute of Play (NIFP), play is more about how a person feels while engaging in an activity than the activity itself.
This means that what feels like play to you, may not feel like play to your friend, and that’s more than normal – it’s expected! The NIFP has some great resources for reconnecting with your natural state of play.
But what are the benefits of play? There is a growing body of research that supports the benefits of play for well-being, including:
- Producing positive emotions (Proyer, 2012)
- Lower stress levels (Magnuson and Barnett, 2013)
These research findings make sense because often the act of play helps create an environment to release endorphins – our bodies “feel good chemicals”. Usually we read about endorphins being related to exercise. Exercise can be a great form of play, but personally there are times I need something other than exercise for that endorphin to pick me up.
Thankfully that’s where other forms of play can come to the rescue! Harvard Medical School (2021) lists meditation and laughter among endorphin producing activities. So break out that 1,000 piece puzzle and focus on finding pieces that go together or grab some friends for that really fun board game that always ends with lots of laughter. Both are great forms of play (other than exercise) to increase positive emotions and lower stress.
There are so many ways to play as an adult. These are just some ideas to get you started, but remember, it’s about your state of mind while playing!
- Playing a board game, alone or with others
- Rock climbing
- Pickleball, badminton, ping-pong
- Working on a puzzle, alone or with others
- Playing chess
- Team sports
- Online or offline video games, alone or with friends
- Book club
- Cooking a new meal
- Exploring a new neighborhood
- Photography
- Art – painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.
- Gardening
- Playing an instrument
Adding some play to your life might be just what you need. So get out there, or stay in with a board game, and see what feels like play for you.
To meet with a professional psychologist or counsellor, call The Other Clinic at 8809 0659 or email us hello@theotherclinic.sg.
References:
1. National Institute for Play. 2023.
2. Proyer, R. T. (2012). Examining playfulness in adults: Testing its correlates with personality, positive psychological functioning, goal aspirations, and multi-methodically assessed ingenuity. Psychological Test and Assessment Modeling, 54(2), 103–127. https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/63532/1/01_proyer.pdf
3. Magnuson, C. D., & Barnett, L. A. (2013). The playful advantage: How playfulness enhances coping with stress. Leisure Sciences, 35(2), 129–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2013.761905
4. Harvard Health Publishing. 2021. Endorphins: The brain’s natural pain reliever. Harvard Medical School. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/endorphins-the-brains-natural-pain-reliever