The Power of Play
Taking a short playful break at work - like doing a quick puzzle or sharing a funny moment with coworkers - helps reduce this common workplace feeling.
What is stress?
Listening to calming music helps people unwind and relax by lowering this cardiovascular measure.
Creative hobbies like painting or writing often induce this focused mental state.
What is flow?
Gardening, woodworking, or crafting can reduce stress by inducing this calming physiological response.
What is relaxation (or the relaxation response)?
A short walk outdoors can quickly lower this common stress-related measure.
What is blood pressure?
Play can foster social bonding by increasing this "feel good" hormone associated with trust.
What is oxytocin?
Research shows that just 45 minutes of art-making can reduce levels of this stress hormone.
What is cortisol?
Making art helps adults cope with stress by activating the brain's reward pathways releasing this "feel good" neurotransmitter associated with reward and motivation.
People with regular hobbies have lower risk of heart disease partly because hobbies reduce this harmful effect of chronic stress.
What is inflammation?
Exposure to natural light and green spaces boosts the production of this "happiness" neurotransmitter associated with elevated mood.
What is serotonin?
Adults who participate in play score higher on this psychological measure, defined as the ability to cope with life disruptions.
What is resilience?
Coloring, sketching, or painting can help adults unwind because these activities stimulate this calming part of the autonomic nervous system.
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
Brain imaging shows creative thinking often involves making connections between different ideas, otherwise known as this kind of thinking.
What is divergent thinking?
Studies show that people who engage in meaningful hobbies are more likely to feel this core psychological sense that life has direction.
What is meaning (or purpose)?
Studies show that spending time in nature improves focused attention and reduces mental fatigue through a process knowns as this type of "restorative" attention shift.
What is attention restoration (or restorative attention)?
Play-based social activities both at work and home - such as team-building games and board-game nights - strengthen this area of well-being tied to a feeling of belonging.
What is social connection?
Group music-making, such as drumming circles or community choirs, boosts well-being by elevating this "bonding" neurochemical.
What is oxytocin?
Brain scanning shows that regularly engaging in mentally stimulating hobbies strengthens this memory-related part of the brain.
What is the hippocampus?
Research shows that adults who regularly engage with nature - gardening, hiking, birdwatching, or simply sitting outdoors - experience higher levels of this psychological state, defined as feeling connected to something larger than oneself.
What is a sense of awe (or transcendence)?
Workplace play - such as improvisational games, creative challenges, or tasks as games - can increase psychological safety and reduce burnout by improving communication between the amygdala and this brain region responsible for regulating emotional responses.
What is the frontal lobe (or prefrontal cortex)?
Using paced breathing exercises set to music help regulate this system responsible for calming the body.
What is the vagus nerve (or vagal system)?
Research suggests that adults produce their most original and creative ideas during mild mind-wandering, linked to this introspective brain network.
What is the default mode network?
Long-term studies show that engaging in complex hobbies, like quilting, chess, creative writing, or music, can delay or reduce symptoms of this age-related condition.
What is dementia (or cognitive decline)?
Forest environments can strengthen the immune system partly due to inhaling these tree-released organic compounds.
What are phytoncides?