Play (for adults)= Instant Empathy
Not all play is created equal. Play for adults is most impactful when it’s pursued together. Thing is, most adults don’t know how to play. It’s not our fault. As we go about ‘adulting’, we learn the world is not designed to support healthful pursuits, like fitness, nutrition, sleep or play.
Numerous obstacles to health are incentivized such as working long hours in sedentary roles, the financial pressure to hold multiple jobs and the ease of access to low-cost/low-quality food. So if health isn’t supported (or incentivized) and play is necessary for health, then of course adults are going to have difficulty ‘playing.’
Playful connection (or the lack thereof) is a global mental health issue. Former U.S. surgeon general Vivek Murthy declared loneliness on the job a public health crisis in the US.
“Loneliness on the job is a public health crisis.”
Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy
The British Government implemented a Minister of Loneliness in 2017, recognizing the impact of loneliness on national health. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated so many health, income and educational disparities. Loneliness is one of those.
Because of the pandemic, we’re heading towards what Dr. Murthy describes as a “social recession.” Play and playful pursuits are no longer an optional leisure activity. They’re as necessary as sleep, nutrition and exercise.
Play was a unit of cultural exchange.
Play (the kind I’m talking about) leads to ‘instant empathy.’ I grew up playing on foreign playgrounds, using play as a unit of cultural exchange. As a former medical clown I’ve brought play into spaces where it isn’t normally found nor expected, like hospitals and gyms (two places most people NEVER want to go). I’ve honed my skills and observations working with patients, family and healthcare providers in critical care environments. This demanded emotional intelligence, the pursuit of consent, multicultural sensitivity and the mining of joy among life or death circumstances through playful interactions.
The field of interactive social neuroscience studies how brains are affected by interaction. Researchers, like Princeton University neuroscientist Uri Hasson have shown that our brains ‘sync-up’ during shared experiences, like watching concerts, movies, or when listening to a story. In fact, baby and adult brains sync up when they play.
What would happen if we made space for this brain-to-brain synchrony in the workplace, the classroom, the home and the care-setting? Playful experiences among adults create the opportunity for ‘instant empathy’ and life-affirming connection. The pursuit of playful connection could drive the future of work.
