--- title: How Play Enriches Our Creative Capacity description: “When we play, we are engaged in the purest expression of our humanity” canonical: https://time.com/3818278/play-creativity/ author: Shane Parrish article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-27T11:00:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T08:21:30.576Z article:section: Ideas og:title: How Play Enriches Our Creative Capacity og:description: “When we play, we are engaged in the purest expression of our humanity” og:url: https://time.com/3818278/play-creativity/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt089276a4a987676b/6987eaa9428a9eae19ccadc0/kids-at-play.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: kids-at-play.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Play Enriches Our Creative Capacity twitter:description: “When we play, we are engaged in the purest expression of our humanity” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt089276a4a987676b/6987eaa9428a9eae19ccadc0/kids-at-play.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Play Enriches Our Creative Capacity by [Shane Parrish](https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish May 27, 2015 11:00 AM UTC  Boys running along beach with a toy plane Boys running along beach with a toy planeGetty Images by [Shane Parrish](https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish May 27, 2015 11:00 AM UTC _“Play doesn’t just help us to explore what is essential. It is essential in and of itself.” — Greg McKeown_ The value of playing cannot be over-stated. From [Einstein](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/04/einstein-productive-thought-combinatory-creativity/) and [Seneca](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/07/seneca-on-combinatorial-creativity/) to[Steve Jobs](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/08/steve-jobs-on-creativity/) and [Google](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/10/google-and-combinatorial-innovation/). “Bob Fagan, a researcher who has spent fifteen years studying the behavior of grizzly bears, discovered bears who played the most tended to survive the longest.” Jaak Panksepp concluded something similar in [Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=019517805X&asin-it=019517805X&asin-fr=019517805X&asin-de=019517805X&asin-uk=019517805X&asin-ca=019517805X&asin-com=019517805X), where he wrote, “One thing is certain, during play, animals are especially prone to behave in flexible and creative ways.” In [Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0804137382/farnamstreet-20), Greg Mckeown argues that “when we play, we are engaged in the purest expression of our humanity, the truest expression of our individuality.” --- > “” --- Play fuels exploration in at least three ways. --- > “” --- Or as Albert Einstein once said, “When I examine myself and my methods of thought , I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.” (As found in [János: The Story of a Doctor](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=B0006FF3OM&asin-it=B0006FF3OM&asin-fr=B0006FF3OM&asin-de=B0006FF3OM&asin-uk=B0006FF3OM&asin-ca=B0006FF3OM&asin-com=B0006FF3OM).) --- > “” --- Play causes stress to (temporarily) melt away. Finally, as Edward M. Hallowell, a psychiatrist who specializes in brain science, explains, play has a positive effect on the brain. “The brain’s executive functions,” he writes in [Shine: Using Brain Science to Get the Best from Your People](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=1591399238&asin-it=1591399238&asin-fr=1591399238&asin-de=1591399238&asin-uk=1591399238&asin-ca=1591399238&asin-com=1591399238), “include planning, prioritizing, scheduling, anticipating, delegating, deciding, analyzing— in short, most of the skills any executive must master in order to excel in business.” Play stimulates parts of the brain involved in logical reasoning and carefree exploration. Hallowell continues: --- > “” --- Perhaps Roald Dahl said it best: “A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.” **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Farnam Street_**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/)**_._** **Join over 50,000 readers and get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/newsletter/)**.** ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3818278/play-creativity/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3818278/play-creativity/"},"headline":"How Play Enriches Our Creative Capacity","datePublished":"2015-05-27T11:00:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:21:30.576Z","description":"“When we play, we are engaged in the purest expression of our humanity”","url":"https://time.com/3818278/play-creativity/","keywords":["Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt089276a4a987676b/6987eaa9428a9eae19ccadc0/kids-at-play.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shane Parrish","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt089276a4a987676b/6987eaa9428a9eae19ccadc0/kids-at-play.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"kids-at-play.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3818278/play-creativity/","name":"How Play Enriches Our Creative Capacity"}}]}] ```