Power of Play: Never Too Old to Play

CARMEL VALLEY, Calif. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Kids, spouse, house, the economy … it's no wonder we all feel overwhelmed! While free time may feel like a trivial pursuit, researchers say we all need to add time to play to our schedules. The right kind of play not only relieves stress … it can impact your entire life.

We are working our lives away, at the office and at home.

"I feel like this is my first family and I go home to my second family," one employed women told Ivanhoe.

Forty percent of Americans work more than 40 hours a week. Fifteen percent spend more than 50 hours at the office. Ten million commute more than an hour a day.

And when we get home, working women on average spend another 30 hours on housework a week.

"At no time in life should we allow ourselves to give up play, because it allows us to maintain the human spirit," Stuart Brown, M.D., Founder and President of The National Institute for Play in Carmel Valley, Calif., said.

Dr. Brown has made it his life's work to play. He says adults don't do enough of it.

"The opposite of play is not work," Dr. Brown said. "The opposite of play is depression. Think about a life without play. No humor, no movies, no books, no pub stories, no dirty jokes … it's a different world."

Depression, declining creativity and lost productivity … a new study reveals these are the consequences of play deprivation. Play is exercise for our brains. It helps to renew neural connections and keeps us sharp.

"In a world requiring newness and the ability to face change, such as we're facing now with the time of economic downturns, it's really important to make new patterns in order to adapt," Dr. Brown said.

Research reveals middle-aged workers who put in 55 hours or more on the job had poorer mental skills, short-term memory and verbal recall than their colleagues who worked 40 hours or less. So, a little playtime may actually help -- not hurt -- your career.

"When they really are free for a time, oftentimes they will make innovations that wouldn't otherwise happen," Dr. Brown explained.

There's also evidence that playtime can add years to your life. A Swedish study of 300,000 golfers found that playing golf could increase life expectancy by five years.

Knitting, crochet and needlework have also been found effective ways to manage stress and chronic pain. The action of knitting actually changes brain chemistry, decreases stress hormones and increases feel-good hormones serotonin and dopamine. The repetitive movements stimulate the same areas of the brain as meditation and yoga, which have been shown to prevent pain and depression. Dr. Brown says from animals to humans, play is a critical part of life.

"It isn't quite as intense a survival drive as sleep and dreams," he explained. "If you don't sleep for two weeks, you're dead, but if you don't play for a couple of years, you become a very hostile boss, or you become Whitman. A 24-year-old student named Charles Whitman the first killed his wife and mother."

Whitman, also known as the Texas Tower Sniper, killed 14 fellow students at the University of Texas in 1966.

"We discovered his play was suppressed again and again and again by an overbearing father," Dr. Brown said.

So what do you do? Most adults think they don't have time for play, and reserve fun for weekends, or a yearly vacation. Those stress-relieving benefits only last a day or two. The better option? A quick, fun break every day.

"Some say, 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away,'" Lee Rush, executive director of JustCommunity, Inc. in Quakertown, Penn., said. "I say, 'A game a day keeps the doctor away.'"

The top ten stress relievers for adults include gardening, photography, scrap booking, maintaining a saltwater aquarium, puzzles, painting, knitting, playing the piano, writing, and spending time outside … a reminder that mom may have known best all along.

Experts say play breaks don't have to be long or elaborate for you to feel the benefits. Something as simple as turning off the TV and playing a game of cards or a board game will relax you and give you a chance to connect with your friends, or family.

If you would like more information, please contact:
National Institute for Play, http://www.nifplay.org