There is a great quote by Carl Jung, famous psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, “The small boy is still around and possesses a creative life which I lack. But how can I make my way to it” (1). In the hustle of everyday life as an adult, have we forgotten about how fun it used to be to just play? Perhaps you may not realize the importance and health impacts play can have on us, later in life.
For this blog I would like to explore the neuroscience of play.
I was listening to a presentation by Dr. Elisha Goldstein (2) at the Neuroscience Training Summit 2017, that sparked my interest on this topic. The first question I had is what constitutes play?
There is no consensus in the scientific community but here are some attributes that have been identified as part of play. Henriot 1969 identified uncertainty, illusion and unpredictability as part of play (3). Bishop and Chace 1971 said exploration, freedom and joy. Ferland 1994 said curiousity, spontaneity, pleasure and a sense of humour are part of play (1). The 3 main themes I found were unstructured, unplanned and free. Play requires a certain attitude and its most basic purpose is about pleasure.
So why in adulthood does it seem we tend to play less or not at all? One idea put forth was that we have become too critical (3) of how we “should” behave. Another thought is if play is unplanned and unstructured, perhaps our lives have become too planned, with deadlines and too much structure. I think there is a balance that can be reached between planning and going with the flow.
As I think of my own life and my recent goal of learning to have free time away from work and business, I have discovered that if I don’t plan on doing something, I just sort of fill in my day with nothing. You know, just doing house work, watching tv –the not-very-exciting things. However, if I make plans for the day, for example, going to the pumpkin patch, then some colouring time with my daughter, followed by a walk to the park, I tend to have more fun. So I plan what I’d like to do, but once I get there, I let go and let the activity take me where it wants to go.
What are your thoughts on this? What are some ways you could add more fun and play to your life?
Let’s look at some of the benefits of play. One study of play in the workplace found improved morale and motivation (1). Play has the power to de-dramatize situations, which provides space to look at problems and situations from a new perspective. Play also helps to improve mood. Let’s look at how play might be able to help someone with pain.
In the case of pain, some individuals who experience persistent pain will stop making plans; they will reduce social time and activities with their loved ones due to the uncertainty of pain spontaneously showing up the day of their plans or the uncertainty of, if the pain will be manageable once they leave their house. This cycle eventually becomes routine and in turn, develops into an unhealthy coping strategy. A better coping strategy that acts on our bodies physiology to decrease the alarm system of pain, is to actually plan “happy activities” and be around fun people (4). The mind/body loves novelty, moving in interesting new ways, learning something new. The mind/body also loves when we change our emotional state, hence why having fun and being around others is so beneficial (4).
Play offers a more positive coping strategy for re-introducing movement, reducing the alarm system of pain and putting the mind in a more open, positive state.
Play because of its novelty, unpredictability and freedom can make us better able to handle change (5). Play also enhances our physical, social, emotional and intellectual growth (5).
Let’s look at the neurobiology of the brain so we can link why play can be valuable in a healing way.
First we have the pre-frontal cortex which is behind your forehead and is associated with our executive function, emotion, action and attention (rational thinking) (6). There is a left and right difference in the pre-frontal cortex. The right is associated with negative emotions and avoidance whereas the left side is associated with positivity, openness and approachability. The pre-frontal cortex is not wired when we are born, it grows over the next 20-25 years through experience and use (7). The good news is that the brain never actually stops growing, so we can use this to our advantage.
Secondly, we have the amygdala which is the part of the brain that evaluates threats and is associated with emotional learning, memory, attention, perception and prediction. It is particularly known for being our fear and negativity center (6). It also has the ability to over-ride our pre-frontal cortex, meaning it can override our rational thinking and make us feel things that make no sense sometimes. Individuals whom are depressed or have anxiety tend to have a larger amygdale, because of this they may experience “heightened emotions or reactions” or as others may perceive as over-reacting. The amygdale is designed to make us react and it is learned over time. The good news is that the amygdale can change and individuals with depression/anxiety can receive treatment whether medical treatment or psychotherapy.
Lastly we have the insula. The insula is the link between the pre-frontal cortex and amygdala. The insula is responsible for our visceral/gut feelings and interoception which is our ability to sense our inner self.
Now that I have introduced a few key parts of the brain and their function, let me try to explain how these areas of the brain contribute to play and pain. So, if the amygdala is predisposed to negativity, fear, anxiety and does not respond to rationale, we need a different tool to help us make positive changes. What we need to do is make the brain resilient, re-direct blood flow in the brain and create new connections, which can also help change our relationship with pain.
Play is a tool, it is not the only tool. So how does it work? The amygdala learns through association: sights, sounds, songs, things in the environment with experience. If you can associate things in the environment with a positive experience of play, you can create new neural pairings in the amygdala (7). Through play we can divert blood flow from the right pre-frontal cortex (away from negative, fearful, anxious thoughts) to the left pre-frontal cortex, allowing this part of the brain to be more active (again helpful for being open, connected, social and positive) (2).
You know the saying, if you don’t use it, you lose it? The opposite is also true, what we use grows stronger, we call it neuroplasticity (fancy word for changing the brain), by using the parts of the brain that help us feel good i.e left pre-frontal cortex, we can slowly start to feel good overall and this can have positive impacts on pain. Let’s not forget about the insula. Play has a way of bringing ourselves back to ourselves. Play helps us to sense and feel our body and emotions in the present moment, which then helps us strengthen the connection between the pre-frontal cortex and the amygdala.
In the case of physiotherapy, our goal is to get you moving better, to get you back to activities you love and improve your quality of life. Understanding the characteristics of play and how it impacts the brain can give us some clues on how to structure exercise programs in persistent pain that includes fun.
Written by: Madelaine Golec PT, Pelvic Health Physiotherapist
References:
- Schaefer, Charles, E. 2003. Play Therapy with Adults. New Jersey: Jogn Wiley & Sons Inc.
- Elisha Goldstein. 2017. Uncovering Happiness: The Psychology and Neuroscience of Personal Transformation. Neuroscience Training Summit.
- Guitard, P et al. 2005. Toward a Better Understanding of Playfulness in Adults. OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health v. 25: 9-22.
- Butler, David and Lorimer Moseley. Explain Pain. 2003. Australia: Noigroup Publications.
- Schaefer, Charles and Keven J. O’Connor. 1994. Handbook of Play Therapy: Advances and Innovations. Toronto: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- Bateman, Chris and Lennart E. Nacke. 2010. The Neurobiology of Play. ACM FuturePlay.
- Pittman, Catherine. 2017. Rewire Your Anxious Brain: Strategies for Resisting Anxiety in the Brain. Neuroscience Training Summit.