If you’ve ever wondered if work had to be … well … work, then you’ll be happy to know that there is scientific evidence and ongoing research that shows the importance of play to our overall well-being, and that paying conscious attention to a diet of play can make work more fun.  

There is a TED talk (below) by Stuart Brown on play called “Why Play is Vital – at any age.” Stuart Brown is an accomplished researcher who was led to the study of play through his research of what drove murderers.

This talk by Mr. Brown is relevant to The Practice of Your Life because it adds some scientific rigor to what is an essential practice, the practice of play, to your living a full and happy life.  Indeed play is one of the domains in a life lived as a practice.  Without attention to your domain of play i.e., to activities that you joyfully engage in for no good reason other than for the joy of engaging in them, you will be inhibited from experiencing your full potential in other domains of your life.    

Play that engages any one of body, object, social, or imagination has transformational properties that enrich the quality of your life and feeds the creative spirit that allows you to be more expressive, productive, innovative, resourceful and imaginative in your work and career.

If you have 30 mins I think you’ll find the talk very interesting particularly the part that deals with how some students have playfully demonstrated one way to make meetings more productive by being playful.  Oh, and there is a really mind-blowing part with a polar bear and a husky.  Here it is below.