Stuart Brown (3)

Play is a real treasure of a popular science book. Based on Brown's work as a clinician and deep familiarity with the literature, it moves through the deep important of play to all animals, and especially human beings. Far from being frivolous, play and a playful attitude is associated with learning, with success, and with a longer and healthier life. Imaginative play, exuberant play, and play free from consequence or adult supervision, is what makes us human, and what makes life worth show more living.

Brown strays into pat self-help in places, and Boomer kid-shaming in others, but this book is everything I wanted to be Exuberance to be. show less

I really liked this book, and the explanation of the role play plays in our lives is amazing and profound.

I can't think of a reason for anyone not to read this, but if you are a parent or a teacher you should absolutely make the time for it. (I plan to give it to a couple teachers I know for Xmas.)

The only fault I find for it is the large amount of anecdotal evidence the author cites, this isn't to say he doesn't cite some scientific studies, not at all, but I would have preferred to see show more more focus on the objective science behind play. I suspect this focus has its roots in the fact that the study of play is a fairly young field. show less

This wasn't an earth-shattering book for me, since I was already aware/receptive to a lot of its message, but I did appreciate the descriptions of the different play personalities and the encouragement to look back on your "play life" to discover what type of play attracted you in the past and which may help nourish your life now. Also: "The opposite of play isn't work, it's depression." Good illustrative anecdotes and stories as well, which helped underscore his points.

Stuart Brown, MD is the founder of the National Institute for Play. This book summarizes some of the research he's done over the years and it includes some interesting findings that can help make yourself and your teams more creative and effective. In short, making play a part of our daily life is the most important factor in being a fulfilled person.

We all play as children, it's part of our make-up, but something happens as we age and many adults start to feel guilty for playing. What does show more remain is often overly organized rigid and competitive, just like work. Play is creative and innovative and allows us to discover different ways to interact with the world around us. It teaches us the value of mastering skills and, hopefully, how to win and lose. It's everything that lifts us from the mundane.

If you feel stifled or lack creativity, your play development may have been disrupted. Brown offers the idea of recreating your play history. Go back to the first joyful experience you can remember and follow the threads. What brought you joy as a child? How can you bring that back into your life? Next, expose yourself to play. Are you open to play now? How can you be more playful? Finally, be active, free yourself from fear and allow yourself to be a beginner.

In the work place, play can be seen as frivolous and wasted energy. However, progressive leaders are beginning to understand the inherent link between play and imagination. Creating cutting-edge products or solving problems both benefit from greater imagination. Play also creates an atmosphere of teamwork and camaraderie which improves the work dynamic and increases employee satisfaction and retention.

Overall, the book is an interesting read for leaders and coaches that want to bring more creativity and imagination into a team. show less