Photo by Bo Peng  on Unsplash It’s everywhere, the obsession with aging well; in advertisements, in subconscious preferences and in being ‘healthy’ in both brain and body. Most narratives will tell us that aging well is the equivalent of better-than-average body mass, cognitive scores and having a longer life expectancy, but what contributes to aging psychologically? Dance is frequently an activity taken up by those in older age, at first glance it’s a hobby, but upon further

Photo by Derek Truninger  on Unsplash We can’t help but gravitate towards the reduction of the human experience into metrics; how many steps we walk, calories we burn, watching our sleep cycles and logging mood, but being human goes beyond the rigidity of structure, further than efficiency, measuring outcomes and evidence-based prescriptions. As a species, humanity doesn’t just function, it feels , we sing and dance and listen. What if, before the science of health, we alread

photo by Vladimir Fedotov  on Unsplash How is a strength of character established? Where does it come from? According to research, play is a fundamental factor in developing character strengths, also known as the virtues that positive psychology believes underpin wellbeing. For adults, it’s not usually the most instinctive direction to take, but playfulness may be central to a ‘good’ life, and it is evidenced that play is a pillar of both ethical and psychological thriving. F

photo by Xavi Cabrera  on Unsplash There is a  lot  of discussion around child development; how to optimise learning, track milestones, and give children the best possible start in life. And yet, one of the key components of integrative and meaningful development is still being missed: unstructured, unassuming play. It’s naturalistic, it’s human, and it’s something all children do without prompting, and why? Because it’s one of the most poignant intrinsic developmental system

Photo by Drini Teta  on Unsplash What is the historical backstory of play? As lifestyles changed with modern times, so did the essence of playfulness. Looking back at our ancestors, it appears that play has been around as long as humans have existed, so… why? In hunter-gatherer societies, it is suggested, the use of play was a powerful social architecture; one that shaped cooperation, egalitarianism, autonomy, and learning. For most of our evolutionary existence, humans were

Photo by Jacqueline Munguía  on Unsplash What happens when we stop taking aging literally, and reframe it playfully? Science poses a new theoretical framework: play may be the route to improved cognitive health in aging. What if one of the most powerful ways to stay cognitively alive (not just sharp, but awake ), is something we are trained to outgrow? Through social play, unscripted interaction, mutual surprise and the willingness to accept the uncontrollable, we may unlock

Photo by Bhautik Patel  on Unsplash We idealise the rational self; goal motivated, logical, realistic, but this is only one dimension of thinking. Underneath every choice we make is a far more human system: the social reward mechanism. Think of it as the brain’s way of saying ‘this matters’, it’s the neurological system behind pleasure and motivation that’s activated when we connect, play and belong. These chemically reinforced experiences predate modern society by millions o

Photo by Edwin Hooper  on Unsplash During the pandemic, we lost much more than routines; we lost mental space and psychological resources. The implicit belief that stress was something of quiet endurance was stripped away. Discussions focused on vaccines and lockdowns and infection rates to cope with the mental strain of COVID-19’s impact on our experiences. But how did people manage their inner experience? Research suggests that playfulness had an active role in a person’s a

Photo by Antonio Gabola  on Unsplash What if a major problem at work is not the lack of focus, but instead, the lack of play? Wellbeing, as instructed by organisations, can be managed by reducing stress or increasing resilience, or squeezing mindfulness in between meetings. While these are useful techniques, what if there’s one major practice missing? Play does not have to be a break from work. What happens when it’s integrated into the way  we work? A different type of inte