{"id":27427,"date":"2015-06-10T18:32:26","date_gmt":"2015-06-10T22:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=27427"},"modified":"2015-06-10T18:32:26","modified_gmt":"2015-06-10T22:32:26","slug":"why-play-should-be-a-priority-in-every-adults-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/es\/journal\/why-play-should-be-a-priority-in-every-adults-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Play Should Be a Priority in Every Adult’s Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

“We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced\u00a0at least once.” \u2013 Friedrich Nietzsche\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I have two left feet, so I\u2019m glad Nietzsche wrote metaphorically. With this quote, I think he was saying something true and profound about the importance of play\u2014that it\u2019s an essential part of living a good and balanced life.<\/p>\n

What I hope to convey are\u00a0some philosophical, scientific, and personal reasons for why we should all get serious about messing around. I hope that by reading this,\u00a0you\u2019ll feel compelled to actually pencil in some time for more frivolity.<\/p>\n

Philosophically Speaking<\/h3>\n

Are you familiar with the bestselling book\u00a0The Top 5 Regrets Of The Dying<\/i><\/a>? As the title suggests, it\u2019s about what dying people wish they had done differently. The information is philosophically valuable because it sheds light on what we ought to do now to ensure we use our time correctly and live our best possible lives.<\/p>\n

Here are the top five regrets:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u201cI wish I hadn\u2019t worked so hard.\u201d<\/li>\n
  2. \u201cI wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.\u201d<\/li>\n
  3. \u201cI wish I had let myself be happier.\u201d<\/li>\n
  4. \u201cI wish I\u2019d had the courage to express my true self.\u201d<\/li>\n
  5. \u201cI wish I\u2019d lived a life true to my dreams instead of doing what others expected of me.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In America, we have a mild obsession with \u201csuccess\u201d in financial and status-building terms. There\u2019s a productivity imperative that\u2019s always nagging us to work work work and\u00a0\u201cmake something of ourselves.\u201d But dying people rarely look back at their lives and wish they\u2019d spent more time rat-racing. Instead, we tend to wish we had prioritized enjoyment and authentic pursuits with the people we loved.<\/p>\n

    With this philosophy in mind,\u00a0play isn\u2019t just a bit of foolishness or an indulgence. Instead, it\u2019s integral to living the good life. It helps us avoid regrets like \u201cworking too hard\u201d and \u201cnot being happy enough.\u201d Play facilitates social bonding and keeps us in touch with friends. It can even be an indicator of what kinds of activities we ought to pursue in our work to \u201cexpress our true selves\u201d and \u201crealize our dreams.”<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s important to get out and frolic a bit or, as Nietzsche would put it, \u201cHit the dance floor and shake your tail feathers\u201d (which is probably not how Nietzsche would put it, but you get the idea).<\/p>\n

    Scientifically\u00a0Speaking<\/h3>\n

    Play is just plain fun, which is a reason enough to want more of it, but there are also scientific reasons to believe that play is instrumentally vital for well-being.<\/p>\n

    Psychology has recently gotten serious about play and its benefits for kids and adults alike. Studies suggest that flirting, humor, imagination, sports, and other forms of play bolster positive emotions, creativity, engagement, relationships, and even achievement.<\/p>\n

    I\u2019m not going to delve off into the nitty-gritty of any particular studies, as my purpose is more of a philosophical persuasion in favor of more play, but I\u2019ve included links (see bottom of page)\u00a0that I recommend for further reading. What I\u2019d like to emphasize is that these are not just intuitions or flights of argumentative fancy; the scientific community has much to say about the value of play. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n