Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul Paperback – April 6, 2010

This is a wonderful book. Stuart Brown points out something that the modern world desperately needs to hear: to play is to be human. Brown, drawing on a fair bit of recent scientific research, argues that approaching life with a playful attitude is not only important for being a happy person, but it's also important for being a creative person. Children lose the desire to learn when they are placed in kindergarten- where "work" and "play" are very strictly separated- and where play itself is sometimes removed entirely, with recess being cancelled to attend to more "serious" things. Brown's discussion of what constitutes play is especially fascinating. One point that he makes again and again is that true play requires a person to let go of pride. A game of Twister would be horrible if everybody were concerned about what others thought of them. A brainstorming session fails when people are afraid of being criticized for silly ideas. In short, play requires humility. Developing a humble spirit around others allows one to truly play with others- and since play is that which fosters creativity, a culture where humility is the rule is a far healthier culture, economically and socially.There are a couple of minor gripes I had with the book. The first is the personalization of the brain. Brown sometimes speaks of the brain "doing" this and that, or "accomplishing" an activity. But the brain doesn't act- persons do. The notion that one can "program" the brain is based on the reification of a rather poor analogy (between brains and computers) and it needs to go. I don't know what Brown's philosophy is, but this is based on an outdated scientific materialism. Related to this is the occasional use of evolutionary psychology. These are all just-so stories- and a little thought usually dissolves them. We aren't just machines programmed to play- we are whole persons, designed to rejoice in this wonderful and beautiful world. Regardless, this element really doesn't take much value out of the book, which is chock-full of wonderful insights and practical applications.We need to be deadly serious about play.

There were days at the middle school where I teach when I just wanted to fold paper with my students to see them interact with me and each other. These are inner-city toughies who really don't respond to much that passes for standard curriculum. They are angry and antsy and difficult and disrespectful. To watch them transform scraps of paper into sublime objects of beauty. To watch them as they reached outside their usual way of thinking to do something very different.Most days, I just wanted to play. But how to justify this? I am expected to help kids read and write and do well on standardized tests. The kids very often hate me for my troubles. I don't blame them. The dank workbooks of generations gone by are of no relevance to them. Or me.At the end of the school year, I taught my kids origami as a break from the norm. They relaxed and loved it and were delighted with themselves that they could turn scrap paper into beautiful things. They helped each other by explaining--by taking the story--the instructions--and putting it in their own words to help a peer. And they were playing.This experience brought me to Brown's book. He talks about the importance of play in problem solving, social interaction, and, to use a broad brush, surviving this world in a healthy way.Letting go and relaxing through play free the mind to reach beyond itself and thus find answers. Serendipity.Brown's book is full of examples of serendipity in action in the science lab, the corporate conference room, the home sweet home. Play unlocks the mind, lets it sample possibilities, lets it seek and find a new level of possibilities. Play makes dreams come true.Brown makes the statement that we start dying when we stop playing. He's right. His book makes the truth of the statement abundantly clear.

Who would've thought play would be so important in our lives? This book brings to light something I think many of us know on a subconscious level but need to remind ourselves over and over again. After reading this book I believe play is a missing puzzle piece not only in my own life but probably in many of the lives of people I know. Scientific yet still readable, Brown explains why he believes play is the cornerstone to happiness. A few sections were a little dull, but for the most part PLAY is accessible and a much-needed reminder. I'd recommend to anyone for whom life feels dull or monotonous.

On a twelve-hour flight to Tokyo, I fortunately read an article on this subject in the Delta in-flight magazine (yes, some of us do read these magazines!) that referred to this book, which interested me enough to order from Amazon.com once I got home. I found the book to be transformational! It was clear that I had become an "all work and no play makes Tom a dull boy". Actually, I was essentially "half dead", but the beautiful, almost ecstatic writing in this book, plus the brilliant expose of the book's thesis, really opened something back up in me to the extent that I find that I am "playing" now all the time (to the great consternation to those dullards who hate people having fun, which is part of the fun of it!). And I am also enjoying the play of others, and finding many like-minded "players" in all my pursuits so that I am really having tons of valuable fun and being more productive than I have ever been in my life. Ancient projects and long lost dreams are now emerging, being completed, or showing impressive progress. All of this is to say that I think anyone will find their life much enhanced by reading this book and putting into practice what it recommends; to be the person they were meant to be!