We are somehow between our adolescent and adulthood when we stopped playing, as being an adult play is perceived as inconsequential and unrewarding; because the society assumes that as you grow old there are more responsibilities than playing more. Hence, between personal, family and professional life there are no time to play due to the notion of achieving more in life.
According to Cannabis Clinic, we should know that play is not only essential for children or those between adolescence. Adults in their old age too can play the way they like; playing as much as you like regularly can serve as an imperative source of relaxation and brain stimulation for adults.
Just as Lawrence Robinson noted, moving around at home or somewhere in your bedroom with your romantic partner, friends, co-workers, pets, and children could be much beneficial than being too serious at all times; because doing so stimulates your mind imaginatively, improves emotional well-being, increases creativity, and enhances problem-solving abilities. The processes of playing could be a time to be social in an amorphous and creative way as well as control work and commitments in a different dimension.
Scientific evidence
Play is often recognised for its contribution to physical health and emotional well-being. Conventionally, the health benefits of play are recognised as well as the physical activity involved in playing actively and while play enhances the mental health of children, it does the same for adults and even for older people . The mental health role supported by playing can be distinguished not only from the angle that play therapy control – which is used for treating behavioural and disturbing obscurity – but helping adults to deal with traumatic experience also during unstructured freely-chosen play it contributes to the emotional health and well-being of adults.
Peter Gray, a research professor of psychology at Boston College, said during one of his TED talks that, play from a biological evolutionary standpoint, is nature’s means of ensuring that young mammals, including young human beings, acquire the skills that they need to attain development successfully into adults.
Stress reliever
Just like every other health benefits, playing and laughing more for adults triggers release of the feel good hormones endorphins, which is particularly associated with stress. Also, it facilitates happiness, wards off depression, improves cognitive health, and lowers risk of developing age-related diseases as when done regularly; it boosts lung functions, toughens your heart, and lowers your risk of developing coronary heart disease.
Taking an interruption for play does a ton of work by relatively taking your mind off the matter for a while.
Development of social skills
As adults, when you play your boundaries, verbal communication, level of cooperation and collaboration are refined by this skill from side to side during playful communication just as US daytime television comedian Ellen DeGeneres said. While play could also be a strong catalyst for positive socialisation, through play as adults, you’ll still use play to break off barriers and improve your relationships with others just as when children determine the way to play and interact with others hence to follow reciprocally prescribed regulations, work collectively, and mingle in groups. Above all, social skills are learned and enhanced as a zone of the give and take of play.
Improves body vitality
Looking at how we have growth overtime and children around us; we refer to young people as being strong and young because they play a lot and consistently use their energy overtime both for productive ventures and otherwise. George Bernard Shaw once said that we don’t stop playing because we get older; we get older because we stop playing. Playing as an adult helps us function at utmost best, as well boost your liveliness, and energy for everyday activities. Sadly, we often fork over play as adults for more serious pursuits like our relationships and our family life.
Enhances empathy
There is a need to know that play does get to include a specific physical activity only; it can also be a state of mind as well through feelings and emotions as while we have fun and laugh can encourage kindness, empathy, understanding, and trust for others. Developing a playful nature can assist you to relax in environments that are perceived to be threatening.
Make new friends, meet strangers in a nice and pleasant way to outline new business relationships and opportunities as also some benefits of playing as an adult.
Promotes resourcefulness
Play helps your career by taking the time to replenish you with experience and knowledge of others, which when you have problems or challenges in your working project, a short time bent play and running around with friends and colleagues does a lot of good.
Once you play, that psychological hurdle and challenges that censors your thoughts and ideas are taken off as you engage the creative side of your brain, this may also assist you see the matter during a replacement light and consider fresh, creative solutions. Also, playing as adults allows seeking out appreciation to be inventive and facilitates rise in personality development, and adaptive pathways in goal achievement. Indeed, the benefits of play are far-reaching.
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Image credit: Freepik
Onah Caleb is a a research assistant in Benue State University (Nigeria). He runs the blog KaylebsThought.
