In today’s high-pressure world, it’s easy to dismiss play as a leftover from childhood that no longer belongs in adult life. Yet neuroscience consistently highlights the profound, transformative benefits of play for adults, making it an essential tool toward wellness and a life well-lived. 

Play is an Instinct We All Share

The ability to play is hardwired into our brains for a lifetime. This is called neoteny, and it’s one of the truly great things about being human: our brains hold onto juvenile characteristics throughout our lives. The quote “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing” is thus scientifically accurate. 

Taking this further, each of us possesses an authentic play nature that’s deeply personal, like our fingerprint. Pioneering researcher Dr. Jaak Panksepp conducted foundational studies in animals, discovering that the instinct to play originates deep in the brain. He identified that subcortical brain structures -- ancient, evolutionarily conserved regions responsible for instinctive emotion and motivation -- are the core of this circuitry. His findings are highly relevant to understanding the human brain, which shares this basic emotional architecture. What this means is play is innate in each of us, waiting to be unleashed. When we unleash it, a cascading series of incredible benefits results.

The Science: How Play Supports Us

Panksepp’s research maintained that when engaged in the state of play, the brain’s SEEKING system is activated. Panksepp named this system appropriately because it’s a deep, subcortical neural circuit that drives curiosity, exploration, anticipation, and motivation, triggering states of energized engagement, creativity, and the urge for socialization. 

Play doesn’t just arise from the SEEKING system—it helps fuel and amplify it. Play begets more play, reinforcing healthy exploratory behaviors, flexibility, adaptability, and resilience. Further, Panksepp and his colleague Stephen Siviy found that free, unstructured play can modulate the activity of the amygdala, the brain region responsible for processing stress and fear. Play activates neural circuits that promote positive emotional states and can suppress overactivity in the amygdala, leading to reduced stress responses. Their findings highlight the powerful role of play – not just for children, but for adults as well – in building emotional resilience and regulating stress at the neurological level. 

What Do We Mean by Play?

At the National Institute for Play (NIFP), we believe these and other scientifically backed findings about the play’s potential are profound. It is our mission to elevate play as a public health necessity, along the lines of good sleep and good nutrition. 

So what exactly is play? While it can be tricky to define, play is best understood as an intrinsically motivated state—something we do for its own sake, not typically for a specific outcome. It’s joyful and engaging, pulling us out of time’s arrow and into full presence. It connects us to our most authentic, expressive selves. As NIFP Founder Dr. Stuart Brown likes to say, “We are built to play—and built by play.”

Play is essential for thriving in an adult world full of demands and responsibility. Yet the structure of modern life—packed schedules, nonstop connectivity, and pressure to perform—leaves little space for spontaneity. Ironically, it’s that very spontaneity that makes play so rejuvenating. Reclaiming the benefits of play begins with recognizing—and pushing past—the cultural and personal barriers that keep it at bay.

Dr. Brian Sutton-Smith maintains, “The opposite of play is not work—it’s depression.” Engaging regularly in play isn’t a frivolous break from productivity—it can actually enhance it. True productivity isn’t just about output; it’s about doing the right things at the right time, with focus, creativity, and clarity. Play can help us get there. 

The Play - Productivity Connection

To this point, Harvard’s Dr. John Ratey emphasizes that play involving physical activity boosts levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a vital protein that fuels the growth, connectivity, and resilience of brain cells. He famously refers to BDNF as “Miracle-Gro for the brain.” BDNF plays a key role in neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt and rewire itself over time. The regions most affected? The hippocampus, which governs learning and memory, and the prefrontal cortex, the center of executive function – often described as the brain’s CEO.

And that matters. Strong executive function is essential for true productivity—not just doing more, but thinking clearly, solving problems, and staying focused. According to Ratey, we grow better brains when we get into motion, play, and engage in activities that spark joy and curiosity.

So get out there and play. Not just for fun—but for your focus, your resilience, your health. Make it a non-negotiable part of your life. Play on. Science has your back.

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