Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul

As we become adults, taking time to play feels like a guilty pleasure—a distraction from 'real' work and life. But play is anything but trivial. It is a biological drive as integral to our health as sleep or nutrition. In fact, our ability to play throughout life is the single most important factor in determining our success and happiness.

Stuart Brown has spent his career studying animal behaviour and conducting more than 6,000 'play histories' of humans from all walks of life—from serial murderers to Nobel prize winners. Backed by the latest research, Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul explains why play is essential to our social skills, adaptability, intelligence, creativity, ability to problem solve, and more. Play is hardwired into our brains—it is the mechanism by which we become resilient, smart, and adaptable people.

Beyond play's role in our personal fulfilment, its benefits have profound implications for child development and the way we parent, education and social policy, business innovation, productivity, and even the future of our society.

From new research suggesting the direct role of 3D-object play in shaping our brains to animal studies showing the startling effects of the lack of play, Brown provides a sweeping look at the latest breakthroughs in our understanding of the importance of this behaviour. A fascinating blend of cutting-edge neuroscience, biology, psychology, social science, and inspiring human stories of the transformative power of play, this book proves why play just might be the most important work we can ever do.