“Play is the highest form of research.” — Albert Einstein
As people grow older, play becomes an underrated activity, and others often dismiss it as “just fun.” Most adults refer to it as a childish thing; when admittedly, being an adult does not require abandoning playtime. As George Bernard Shaw said, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
If you are a parent or guardian, you would know and understand the importance of playtime for kids. The same thing goes for adults, and it is very important to realize how you are zoning out the noise of the world and zoning into what is trending — like television and trending topics on social media.
Instead, it is more invigorating to engage in playtime like children. It is like reading that unique book you couldn’t put down when you were a child. It is one key ingredient for healthy adulthood.
Alleviate Stress
Adults experience stress almost every day. Traffic, toxic work environments, and relationships all contribute to adult stress. Play is one way to alleviate stress and release essential endorphins while having fun. These natural body chemicals are sometimes referred to also as “happy pills.” The higher the endorphin levels, the lesser you might feel pain or any adverse effects of stress.
Boost Your Brain Functionality
Most adult playtime requires strategical and tactical skills, e.g., board games, sports, and other activities where you need to follow specific rules. Studies show that these kinds of play-time activities help improve memory and stimulate the growth of the cerebral cortex. It’s a form of exercise for your brain, enhancing its function. Moreover, spending time with other people helps reduce stress and decrease negative emotions.
Improve Your Social Skills
Playtime helped you developed your social skills when you were a child. You learned about teamwork through sports and how to communicate with others through advanced verbal communication. As an adult, pleasure in play continues to serve an important role by redefining the already-developed social skills by taking it to the next level for physical improvement and character development.
Increase Your Energy
As an adult, your schedule may sometimes get hectic. Daily, there are things at work and at home that can increase your stress levels. But don’t let these things drain your energy! Adult play is the cheapest energy booster you can get. It improves your immune system and helps you function better.
Build Wonderful Relationships
Play is more fun with more people. Sharing laughter, especially with the essential people in your life, helps build more trust and intimacy. Developing a playful nature even produces a lighter surrounding that helps develop a more relaxed, profound connection with other people. Play serves a significant role in strengthening a long-term adult relationship.
Enjoy Your Work
Admit it: even the best of jobs comes with stress. However, daily work activities do not mean having to lose playtime. Play even helps adults boost their productivity at work.
- It increases energy to make you more functional even when under stress.
- Refreshes your mind and body, thus preventing burnout.
- Makes you more creative and innovative.
- Helps you face difficulties.
A 15-minute break won’t hurt–idle time for a few minutes can be an excellent opportunity to loosen up. Don’t define your productivity by the number of hours you are in the office. It is with how well you deal with the tasks which are highly determined by your welfare.
Play with Your Children
Playing hide and seek with your little one may feel different from adult activities, but activities like this are essential not only for your kid’s growth and development but for your health as well. Playing with your children helps develop cognitive, emotional, social, and physical skills. Significantly, it strengthens the parent-child bond which, as a parent, is remarkably rewarding.
Recommended Activities
According to Laughter Online University, adults can do a lot of fun activities to revive that childlike, playful experience. You might want to give the following activities a try.
- Spend time with people younger and older than you.
- Take your children to the park and play with them on the monkey bars or the swings.
- Talk to your pet.
- Go to the beach or the amusement park.
- Rent Inflatable Equipment that both you and your kids can use.
- Give lip synching a try to your favorite tv shows, movies, or songs.
- Make up a story and do storytelling time with children.
- Play a game.
- Have a comedy night with your friends and neighbors.
- Fly a kite.
- Ride your bicycle.
- Commit to engaging in a heart to heart conversation with a least one new person per day for a whole week.
There are numerous other playtime activities you can do. Having fun does not have any age limit, and it’s free. Adults may have different perceptions of fun, so feel free to try out new concepts or ways of finding a little more time for play. It is more than just fun.
