As children, play is universally recognized as essential for development—nurturing social skills, cognitive growth, and emotional resilience. Yet, when it comes to adulthood, the value of play is largely disregarded. In the midst of responsibilities and routines, it’s easy to regard play as frivolous indulgence. However, play remains just as vital in adulthood. Far from being impractical or unproductive, play is a powerful catalyst for well-being, creativity, and emotional wholeness.
Play: It Matters
Playing is not just for children. Play is vital for adults; it significantly contributes to our well-being by reducing stress, enhancing creativity, and improving mood.
“Play is to engage in an activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious, practical purpose.” (Oxford Dictionary) While this definition may still resonate, it underplays why play matters for adults. The benefits go well beyond “fun.”
Playing is not ‘practical or productive’—why is it important? Well-being, that’s why. We spend most of our lives busy chasing after a sense of well-being. Almost everything we do, we do to be well, to “be okay.” Yet, we can only truly experience well-being when we stop doing and start being. Playing is being—being in the present moment.
Our experience of life is a reflection of our inner emotional experience. Our mood, over an extended period of time, becomes our personality. When we play, we make space for our mind, heart, and body to create, heal, and expand. For a more fulfilling and healthy life, just PLAY.
Play is Enhances Mental Health
Stress Reduction & Emotional Health
Research in positive psychology has shown that engaging in playful activities reduces stress and promotes emotional well-being. For example, Stuart Brown’s seminal book Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul (2009) presents decades of research on how play serves as a vital emotional release and resilience builder for adults.
Enhanced Creativity & Problem Solving
Dr. Brian Sutton-Smith, in his influential work The Ambiguity of Play (1997), demonstrates how play encourages flexible thinking and creativity. More recently, psychological studies such as Johnson and Wu (2020) have found that adult play—particularly form that is novel and imaginative—can stimulate creative problem solving and innovation.
Improved Mood and Mental Flexibility
In the field of play therapy and adult well-being, studies like those summarized in Play in Adulthood: A Systematic Literature Review by Gordon et al. (2018) highlight that playful activities improve mood, reduce depressive symptoms, and bolster mental flexibility by breaking monotonous thought patterns.
Play is not the opposite of productivity—it is a foundation for meaningful productivity. As adults, reclaiming play is a radical act of self-nurturing. It invites us to step out of obligation and into presence, into joy, into connection. When we allow ourselves to play, we create the space for healing, creativity, and authentic well-being. In a culture obsessed with getting things done, giving ourselves permission to play may be the most productive act of all.
For a richer, more grounded life—play.
Best Me Therapy 