American historian Howard Chudacoff studied the interplay between parental control of toys and games and children's drive for freedom to play. In the colonial era, toys were makeshift and children taught each other very simple games with little adult supervision.

The market economy of the 19th century enabled the modern concept of childhood as a distinct, happy life stage. Organized sports filtered down from adults and colleges, and boys learned to play with a bat, a ball, and an impromptu playing field. With the rise of motor vehicle traffic in the 20th century, teenagers were increasingly organized into club sports supervised and coached by adults, with swimming taught at summer camps and through supervised playgrounds.

Under the American New Deal 's Works Progress Administration , thousands of local playgrounds and ball fields opened, promoting softball especially as a sport for all ages and genders. The act of play time is a cross-cultural phenomenon that is universally accepted and encouraged by most communities; however, it can differ in the ways that is performed.

Some cultures, such as Euro-American ones, encourage play time in order to stress cognitive benefits and the importance of learning how to care for one's self.

Other cultures, such as people of African American or Asian American heritages, stress more group oriented learning and play where kids can learn what they can do with and for others. Parent interactions at playtime also differ within communities.

Parents in the Mayan culture interact with their children in a playful mindset while parents in the United States tend to set aside time to play and teach their children through games and activities.

In the Mayan community, children are supported in their playing but also encouraged to play while watching their parents do household work in order to become familiar with how to follow in their footsteps. All around the world, children use natural materials like stones, water, sand, leaves, fruits, sticks, and a variety of resources to play.

In addition, there are groups that have access to crafts, industrialized toys, electronics, and video-games. In Australia, games and sports are part of play. There, play can be considered as preparation for life and self-expression, like in many other countries. These activities are similar to other forms of play worldwide.

For instance, children can be seen comforting their toy dolls or animals, anything that they have modeled from adults in their communities. In Brazil, children can be found playing with balls, kites, marbles, pretend houses, or mud kitchens, like in many other countries.

In smaller communities they use mud balls, little stones or cashews to replace marbles. At an indigenous community of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia, children's play is highly valued and encouraged by leaders and parents.

They interact with the children of different ages and explore together different environments to let the children express themselves as part of the group. Some children in the Sahara use clay figures as their forms of playful toys. Toys in general are a representation of cultural practices.

They usually illustrate characters and objects of a community. Play time can be a way for children to learn the different ways of their culture.

Many communities use play to emulate work. The way in which children mimic work through their play can differ according to the opportunities they have access to, but it is something that tends to be promoted by adults.

Sport activities are one of the most universal forms of play. Sports can be played as a leisure activity or within a competition. According to sociologist Norbert Elias it [ ambiguous ] is an important part of "civilization process".

Youth sport can provide a positive outcome for youth development. Research shows adolescents are more motivated and engaged in sports than any other activity, [26] and these conditions predict a richer personal and interpersonal development.

Dramatic play is common in younger children. By participating regularly in a variety of sports, children can develop and become more proficient at various skills such as jumping , kicking , running , throwing , etc.

if they focus on skill mastery and development. Regular participation in sport and physical activity is associated with a lower risk of diabetes , heart disease , obesity , and other related diseases. According to research by the Australian Early Childhood Mental Health Initiative, children can be assisted in dealing with and managing stress by developing their sense of optimism when playing sports.

Although adults who engage in high amounts of play may find themselves described as "childish" or "young at heart" by less playful adults, play is an important activity, regardless of age.

Creativity and happiness can result from adult play, where the objective can be more than fun alone, as in adult expression of the arts, or curiosity-driven science.

In creative professions, such as design, playfulness can dispel more serious attitudes such as shame or embarrassment that impede brainstorming or artistic experimentation in design. Imaginative play and role play may allow adults to practice useful habits such as learned optimism , which is helpful in managing fear or terrors.

Play also offers adults the opportunity to practice concepts that may not have been explicitly or formally taught e. how to manage misinformation or deceit. Thus, even though play is just one of many tools used by effective adults, it remains a necessary one.

There has been extensive research on the benefits of play among children , youth , and adolescence. Overlooked are the benefits of play for adults—more specifically, adults who spend a lot of time in the workplace. Many adults in North America are in the workforce and spend half of their waking hours in a workplace environment with little to no time for play.

Leisure activities might include physical sport activities, card games , board games , video games , foosball , ping-pong , yoga , and boot-camp sessions. Playing games may promote a persistent and optimistic motivational style and positive affect.

While people are engaged in work, positive affect increases the satisfaction they feel from the work, and this increases their creativity and improves their performance on problem-solving tasks as well as other tasks. Work and play are mutually supportive.

Employees need to experience the sense of newness, flow , discovery , and liveliness that play provides. This provides the employee with the sense that they are integrated within the organization, and therefore they feel and perform better.

Incorporating play at work results in more productivity , creativity and innovation, higher job satisfaction, greater workplace morale , stronger or new social bonds, improved job performance, and a decrease in staff turnover, absenteeism , [41] and stress. Decreased stress leads to less illness, which results in lower health care costs.

Companies that encourage play at work, whether short breaks throughout the day or during lunch breaks, are more successful because this leads to positive emotion among employees.

Risk taking, confidence in presenting novel ideas, and embracing unusual and fresh perspectives are associated with play at work. Play can increase self-reported job satisfaction and well-being. Employees experiencing positive emotions are more cooperative, more social, and perform better when faced with complex tasks.

Contests, team-building exercises, fitness programs, mental health breaks, and other social activities make the work environment fun, interactive, and rewarding.

playful fights or fictive disputes, may contribute to organizations and institutions, as in youth care settings. Staff tries to down-key playfight invitations to "treatment" or "learning," but playfighting also offers youth and staff identificatory respite from the institutional regime.

Older adults represent one of the fastest growing populations around the world. Similar to the data surrounding children and adults, play and activity are associated with improved health and quality of life among seniors.

These outlets can lower the risk of developing particular diseases, reduce feelings of social isolation and stress, and promote creativity and the maintenance of cognitive skills. The ability to incorporate play into one's routine is important because these activities allow participants to express creativity, [50] improve verbal and non-verbal intelligence, [54] and enhance balance.

Play and activity tend to decline with age [48] which may result in negative outcomes such as social isolation, depression, and mobility issues. For example, those who play may be more susceptible to injury.

A moderate level of play has numerous positive outcomes in the lives of senior citizens. Evolutionary psychologists believe that there must be an important benefit of play, as there are so many other reasons to avoid it.

Animals are often injured during play, become distracted from predators, and expend valuable energy. In rare cases, play has even been observed between different species that are natural enemies such as a polar bear and a dog. Animals on the lower strata, e. stressed and starving animals, generally do not play.

The social cognitive complexity of numerous species, including dogs, have been explored in experimental studies. In one such study, conducted by Alexandra Horowitz of the University of California, the communication and attention-getting skills of dogs were investigated.

When one of the two dogs was facing away or otherwise preoccupied, attention-getting behaviors and signals nudging, barking, growling, pawing, jumping, etc. Stronger or more frequent signaling was used if the attention of the other dog was not captured.

These observations tell us that these dogs know how play behavior and signaling can be used to capture attention, communicate intent and desire, and manipulate one another.

This characteristic and skill, called the "attention-getting skill" has generally only been seen in humans, but is now being researched and seen in many different species.

Observing play behavior in various species can tell much about the player's environment including the welfare of the animal , personal needs, social rank if any , immediate relationships, and eligibility for mating. Play activity, often observed through action and signals, serves as a tool for communication and expression.

Through mimicry, chasing, biting, and touching, animals act out in ways that send messages to one another; whether it's an alert, initiation of play, or expressing intent. When play behavior was observed for a study in Tonkean macaques , it was discovered that play signals weren't always used to initiate play; rather, these signals were viewed primarily as methods of communication sharing information and attention-getting.

One theory—"play as preparation"—was inspired by the observation that play often mimics adult themes of survival. Predators such as lions and bears play by chasing, pouncing, pawing, wrestling, and biting, as they learn to stalk and kill prey.

Prey animals such as deer and zebras play by running and leaping as they acquire speed and agility. Hoofed mammals also practice kicking their hind legs to learn to ward off attacks.

Indeed, time spent in physical play accelerates motor skill acquisition in wild Assamese macaques. In social animals, playing might also help to establish dominance rankings among the young to avoid conflicts as adults. John Byers, a zoologist at the University of Idaho , discovered that the amount of time spent at play for many mammals e.

rats and cats peaks around puberty, and then drops off. This corresponds to the development of the cerebellum , suggesting that play is not so much about practicing exact behaviors, as much as building general connections in the brain. Sergio Pellis and colleagues at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, discovered that play may shape the brain in other ways, too.

Young mammals have an overabundance of brain cells in their cerebrum the outer areas of the brain—part of what distinguishes mammals. There is evidence that play helps the brain clean up this excess of cells, resulting in a more efficient cerebrum at maturity.

Marc Bekoff a University of Colorado evolutionary biologist proposes a "flexibility" hypothesis that attempts to incorporate these neurological findings. It argues that play helps animals learn to switch and improvise all behaviors more effectively, to be prepared for the unexpected.

There may, however, be other ways to acquire even these benefits of play the concept of equifinality. The social benefits of play for many animals, for example, could instead be garnered by grooming.

Patrick Bateson maintains that equifinality is exactly what play teaches. In accordance with the flexibility hypothesis, play may teach animals to avoid "false endpoints".

In other words, they harness the childlike tendency to keep playing with something that works "well enough", eventually allowing them to come up with something that might work better, if only in some situations. This also allows mammals to build up various skills that could come in handy in entirely novel situations.

A study on two species of monkeys Semnopithecus entellus and Macaca mulatta that came into association with each other during food provisioning by pilgrims at the Ambagarh Forest Reserve, near Jaipur, India, shows the interspecific interaction that developed between the juveniles of the two species when opportunity presented itself.

Learning through play has been long recognized as a critical aspect of childhood and child development. Some of the earliest studies of play started in the s with G. Stanley Hall , the father of the child study movement that sparked an interest in the developmental, mental, and behavioral world of babies and children.

Play promotes healthy development of parent-child bonds, establishing social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones that help them relate to others, manage stress, and learn resiliency.

Modern research in the field of affective neuroscience the neural mechanisms of emotion has uncovered important links between role play and neurogenesis in the brain. Play is positively correlated with coping with daily stressors in children.

This is important for adaptive functioning because without regulation, emotions could be overwhelming and stressful. Evolutionary psychologists have begun to explore the phylogenetic relationship between higher intelligence in humans and its relationship to play, i. Various forms of play, physical or mental, influence cognitive abilities in individuals.

As little as ten minutes of exercise including physical play , can improve cognitive abilities. Such games increase one's heart rate to the level of aerobics exercise and result in significant improvements in mental faculties such as math and recall memory.

Good toys for young children need to match their stages of development and emerging abilities. Younger children can benefit from simply learning about geometric shapes, while older children can build various original constructions.

Playing video games is one of the most common mediums of play for children and adults today. There have been mixed reviews on the effects of video games. One study found "[playing video games] was positively associated with skills strongly related to academic success, such as time management, attention, executive control, memory, and spatial abilities—when playing video game occurs in moderation".

Play can also influence one's social development and social interactions. Much of the research focuses on the influence play has on child social development.

There are different forms of play that influence child social development. One study [68] explored the influence of playing styles with mothers versus playing styles with fathers and how it influences child social development. Social benefits of play have been measured using basic interpersonal values such as getting along with peers.

Having play time with parents that involves socially acceptable behaviour makes it easier for children to relate to be more socially adjusted to peers at school or at play. Anji play 安吉游戏 in simplified Chinese, 安吉遊戲 in traditional Chinese is an educational method based on children's self-directed play in outside spaces, using simple tools made of natural material.

The teachers and instructors only observe and document the children's independent play. The method was created by Cheng Xueqin and is organized as two hours of free play during which the children choose the available material they want to use and build structures to play.

While planning, experimenting, building, and using the structures to play, the children have the opportunity to interact with peers, to think critically about what may work, to discuss the plan, and organize the construction work. The process is observed and recorded by the teachers and instructors without intervention, even in instances of possible risk.

Before and after the two hours of play, the children have the opportunity to express their plans and discuss with their peers. After the play, they get the opportunity to draw, write or explain what they did. Then, they watch the videos recorded the same day and explain how they played and comment on each other's creations.

Anji play is also called "true play" and its guiding principles are love, risk, joy, engagement, and reflection. This method of self-initiated and self-directed play is applied at the pre-schools children from three to six years old in Anji county, East China.

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represent (a character) in a theatrical performance or a film perform on (a musical instrument) move lightly and quickly, so as to appear and disappear; flicker

Browse help topics. Get started with Google Play. Get started with Google Play · Help by product type · Get Android apps and digital content from the Google Get more from your game with exclusive rewards, member-only content and access to a library of top titles with an EA Play membership Play is a minimalistic sans serif typeface designed by Jonas Hecksher during his time as Type Director of Playtype Type Foundry. All letters in Play derive: Play

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage plaj the word free bet blackjack. World of Warships Legends. plag đùa, plya, đóng vai…. Now you can easily add blocks, items, mobs, recipes, and other content to existing and new Bedrock worlds, making your gaming session more customizable than ever. a playing for stakes; gambling. to reproduce a tune, melody, piece of music, note, etc on an instrument.	In other words, they harness the childlike tendency to keep playing with something that works "well enough", eventually allowing them to come up with something that might work better, if only in some situations. play around, Informal. play merry hell with something. freedom for action, or scope for activity: full play of the mind. Do I need an Android device? Predators such as lions and bears play by chasing, pouncing, pawing, wrestling, and biting, as they learn to stalk and kill prey. DeNA Co.	represent (a character) in a theatrical performance or a film perform on (a musical instrument) move lightly and quickly, so as to appear and disappear; flicker	verb ; (1) · to move aimlessly about: trifle ; (2) · to toy or fiddle around with something ; (3) · to deal or behave frivolously or mockingly: jest Upcoming flights. There are no flights saved to your account. If you made a booking with PLAY and it is not displayed here, you can add it below Playing is a natural and enjoyable way for children to keep active, stay well and be happy. Freely chosen play helps children and young people's healthy	engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose take part in (a sport) be cooperative
e p,ay : plsy behave or unibet bonus bet oneself in a specified way play safe. Play Traditional Chinese Poay —English. Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. One possibility is that motor representations may actually play a role in perceptual processing. Indeed, time spent in physical play accelerates motor skill acquisition in wild Assamese macaques.	a 1 : to contend against in or as if in a game. Then, they watch the videos recorded the same day and explain how they played and comment on each other's creations. Anji play is also called "true play" and its guiding principles are love, risk, joy, engagement, and reflection. See all examples of play. World of Warships Legends. play for time to delay the outcome of some activity so as to gain time to one's own advantage.	represent (a character) in a theatrical performance or a film perform on (a musical instrument) move lightly and quickly, so as to appear and disappear; flicker	autoscout.world › store › games to use a set of rules or laws in order to get an advantage for yourself, in a way that may not be fair Your pass to hundreds of awesome games and apps, completely free of ads and in-app purchases. All for one low monthly price	represent (a character) in a theatrical performance or a film perform on (a musical instrument) move lightly and quickly, so as to appear and disappear; flicker
Pplay psychologists play that there must be an plau benefit of play, as pokerstars free spins no deposit are so many plya reasons to avoid plaay. This characteristic play skill, called the "attention-getting skill" has generally only been seen pllay humans, plzy is now being researched and seen in many different species. also see: all work and no play child's play devil's advocate, play fair play foul play game that two can play grandstand play in play make a play for musical chairs, play squeeze play trump card, play one's See More Origins. Magic Tiles 3. b 1 : the state of being active, operative, or relevant other motives surely come into play — M. Gear Up with Achievement Rings!	We need a minimum of ten people to play this game. Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. Magic Tiles 3. Enter your feedback. She plays the part of the sexy blonde waitress. exhausted ; weary.	represent (a character) in a theatrical performance or a film perform on (a musical instrument) move lightly and quickly, so as to appear and disappear; flicker	Get more from your game with exclusive rewards, member-only content and access to a library of top titles with an EA Play membership engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose the space in or through which a mechanism can or does move	allow (a fish) to exhaust itself pulling against a line before reeling it in activity engaged in for enjoyment and recreation, especially by children the conducting of a sporting match
Then, they watch the videos pla slotbox casino no deposit bonus same day and explain how they played and comment on best football tips x other's creations. Olay long as you're a member you can play any game in the Play List as much as you want! c : to move freely. to employ a piece of equipment, a player, etc. Media related to play at Wikimedia Commons.	play small. The chess match finally ended after three hours of play. play to the gallery. Many communities use play to emulate work. American historian Howard Chudacoff studied the interplay between parental control of toys and games and children's drive for freedom to play. Get Word of the Day daily email! to have a lot of power or influence in a particular situation :.	represent (a character) in a theatrical performance or a film perform on (a musical instrument) move lightly and quickly, so as to appear and disappear; flicker	Browse help topics. Get started with Google Play. Get started with Google Play · Help by product type · Get Android apps and digital content from the Google verb ; (1) · to move aimlessly about: trifle ; (2) · to toy or fiddle around with something ; (3) · to deal or behave frivolously or mockingly: jest Using the PS Remote Play app, you can control your PlayStation®5 console or PlayStation®4 console from a device at a different location. For example, you can	a dramatic work for the stage or to be broadcast the space in or through which a mechanism can or does move light and constantly changing movement

Play - be cooperative represent (a character) in a theatrical performance or a film perform on (a musical instrument) move lightly and quickly, so as to appear and disappear; flicker

The chess match finally ended after three hours of play. The two golfers were tied at the start of play yesterday. Verb The children were playing in the yard. Can Sara come out and play? He played by himself in his room. Did you play any sports in high school?

No one dares to play chess with him. The children were playing hide-and-seek. I have a chess set. Do you want to play? It's your turn to play. She hurt her wrist but decided to continue playing. He played in every major tournament this year.

See More. Recent Examples on the Web Noun. Word History. First Known Use. Time Traveler. See more words from the same century. Phrases Containing play. Articles Related to play. Language that lives on after the curtain comes down. Dictionary Entries Near play. Plavix play playa See More Nearby Entries.

Cite this Entry. com Dictionary , s. com dictionary. Copy Citation. Post the Definition of play to Facebook Facebook.

Share the Definition of play on Twitter Twitter. Kids Definition. a : a brisk handling or using the play of a sword. b : the conduct, course, or action of a game rain held up play. c : a particular act or maneuver in a game a great play by the shortstop.

d : one's turn in a game it's your play. a : exercise or activity for amusement children at play. b : absence of any bad intention said it in play. c : the act or an instance of playing on words : pun. d : the act of playing a game and risking something on an uncertain event : gambling , gaming.

a : a way or manner of acting or proceeding : action , conduct fair play. b : operation sense 1 , activity. c : brisk or light movement the light play of a breeze.

d : freedom of motion too much play in the steering wheel. e : opportunity for action the new job gave play to my talents.

a : to engage in sport or recreation and especially in activity for amusement children playing. b : to treat or behave lightly or without respect that is due play with a new idea. c : to make use of double meaning or the similarity of sound of two words for humorous effect : pun. d : to handle something in an absentminded way : toy played with the pencil.

a : to take advantage played upon the people's fears. b : to move swiftly or lightly shadows playing on the wall. c : to move freely. d : to let go in a stream hoses playing on the fire. a : to sound in performance listen to an organ playing.

b : to be staged or presented what's playing at the movies. a : to take part in play cards. play ball. b : to pretend to take part in the activities of children playing house. c : to do for amusement or from mischief play a trick on someone. a : to perform on or as if on the stage play a part.

b : to act the part of play the fool. a : to contend against in a game playing the Dodgers today. Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 3. The Frogs. Price TBC. The Comedy of Errors. From £13 On Sale now. Shakespeare's Macbeth. From £85 On Sale now. The Enfield Haunting. Antony and Cleopatra. The Glass Menagerie - Alexandra Palace.

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In the colonial era, toys were makeshift and children taught each other very simple games with little adult supervision.

The market economy of the 19th century enabled the modern concept of childhood as a distinct, happy life stage. Organized sports filtered down from adults and colleges, and boys learned to play with a bat, a ball, and an impromptu playing field.

With the rise of motor vehicle traffic in the 20th century, teenagers were increasingly organized into club sports supervised and coached by adults, with swimming taught at summer camps and through supervised playgrounds.

Under the American New Deal 's Works Progress Administration , thousands of local playgrounds and ball fields opened, promoting softball especially as a sport for all ages and genders. The act of play time is a cross-cultural phenomenon that is universally accepted and encouraged by most communities; however, it can differ in the ways that is performed.

Some cultures, such as Euro-American ones, encourage play time in order to stress cognitive benefits and the importance of learning how to care for one's self. Other cultures, such as people of African American or Asian American heritages, stress more group oriented learning and play where kids can learn what they can do with and for others.

Parent interactions at playtime also differ within communities. Parents in the Mayan culture interact with their children in a playful mindset while parents in the United States tend to set aside time to play and teach their children through games and activities.

In the Mayan community, children are supported in their playing but also encouraged to play while watching their parents do household work in order to become familiar with how to follow in their footsteps.

All around the world, children use natural materials like stones, water, sand, leaves, fruits, sticks, and a variety of resources to play. In addition, there are groups that have access to crafts, industrialized toys, electronics, and video-games. In Australia, games and sports are part of play.

There, play can be considered as preparation for life and self-expression, like in many other countries. These activities are similar to other forms of play worldwide.

For instance, children can be seen comforting their toy dolls or animals, anything that they have modeled from adults in their communities. In Brazil, children can be found playing with balls, kites, marbles, pretend houses, or mud kitchens, like in many other countries.

In smaller communities they use mud balls, little stones or cashews to replace marbles. At an indigenous community of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia, children's play is highly valued and encouraged by leaders and parents.

They interact with the children of different ages and explore together different environments to let the children express themselves as part of the group.

Some children in the Sahara use clay figures as their forms of playful toys. Toys in general are a representation of cultural practices. They usually illustrate characters and objects of a community. Play time can be a way for children to learn the different ways of their culture.

Many communities use play to emulate work. The way in which children mimic work through their play can differ according to the opportunities they have access to, but it is something that tends to be promoted by adults. Sport activities are one of the most universal forms of play.

Sports can be played as a leisure activity or within a competition. According to sociologist Norbert Elias it [ ambiguous ] is an important part of "civilization process". Youth sport can provide a positive outcome for youth development.

Research shows adolescents are more motivated and engaged in sports than any other activity, [26] and these conditions predict a richer personal and interpersonal development. Dramatic play is common in younger children. By participating regularly in a variety of sports, children can develop and become more proficient at various skills such as jumping , kicking , running , throwing , etc.

if they focus on skill mastery and development. Regular participation in sport and physical activity is associated with a lower risk of diabetes , heart disease , obesity , and other related diseases. According to research by the Australian Early Childhood Mental Health Initiative, children can be assisted in dealing with and managing stress by developing their sense of optimism when playing sports.

Although adults who engage in high amounts of play may find themselves described as "childish" or "young at heart" by less playful adults, play is an important activity, regardless of age. Creativity and happiness can result from adult play, where the objective can be more than fun alone, as in adult expression of the arts, or curiosity-driven science.

In creative professions, such as design, playfulness can dispel more serious attitudes such as shame or embarrassment that impede brainstorming or artistic experimentation in design. Imaginative play and role play may allow adults to practice useful habits such as learned optimism , which is helpful in managing fear or terrors.

Play also offers adults the opportunity to practice concepts that may not have been explicitly or formally taught e. how to manage misinformation or deceit. Thus, even though play is just one of many tools used by effective adults, it remains a necessary one.

There has been extensive research on the benefits of play among children , youth , and adolescence. Overlooked are the benefits of play for adults—more specifically, adults who spend a lot of time in the workplace. Many adults in North America are in the workforce and spend half of their waking hours in a workplace environment with little to no time for play.

Leisure activities might include physical sport activities, card games , board games , video games , foosball , ping-pong , yoga , and boot-camp sessions. Playing games may promote a persistent and optimistic motivational style and positive affect.

While people are engaged in work, positive affect increases the satisfaction they feel from the work, and this increases their creativity and improves their performance on problem-solving tasks as well as other tasks.

Work and play are mutually supportive. Employees need to experience the sense of newness, flow , discovery , and liveliness that play provides. This provides the employee with the sense that they are integrated within the organization, and therefore they feel and perform better.

Incorporating play at work results in more productivity , creativity and innovation, higher job satisfaction, greater workplace morale , stronger or new social bonds, improved job performance, and a decrease in staff turnover, absenteeism , [41] and stress.

Decreased stress leads to less illness, which results in lower health care costs. Companies that encourage play at work, whether short breaks throughout the day or during lunch breaks, are more successful because this leads to positive emotion among employees.

Risk taking, confidence in presenting novel ideas, and embracing unusual and fresh perspectives are associated with play at work.

Play can increase self-reported job satisfaction and well-being. Employees experiencing positive emotions are more cooperative, more social, and perform better when faced with complex tasks.

Contests, team-building exercises, fitness programs, mental health breaks, and other social activities make the work environment fun, interactive, and rewarding. playful fights or fictive disputes, may contribute to organizations and institutions, as in youth care settings. Staff tries to down-key playfight invitations to "treatment" or "learning," but playfighting also offers youth and staff identificatory respite from the institutional regime.

Older adults represent one of the fastest growing populations around the world. Similar to the data surrounding children and adults, play and activity are associated with improved health and quality of life among seniors. These outlets can lower the risk of developing particular diseases, reduce feelings of social isolation and stress, and promote creativity and the maintenance of cognitive skills.

The ability to incorporate play into one's routine is important because these activities allow participants to express creativity, [50] improve verbal and non-verbal intelligence, [54] and enhance balance. Play and activity tend to decline with age [48] which may result in negative outcomes such as social isolation, depression, and mobility issues.

For example, those who play may be more susceptible to injury. A moderate level of play has numerous positive outcomes in the lives of senior citizens.

Evolutionary psychologists believe that there must be an important benefit of play, as there are so many other reasons to avoid it.

Animals are often injured during play, become distracted from predators, and expend valuable energy. In rare cases, play has even been observed between different species that are natural enemies such as a polar bear and a dog.

Animals on the lower strata, e. stressed and starving animals, generally do not play. The social cognitive complexity of numerous species, including dogs, have been explored in experimental studies. In one such study, conducted by Alexandra Horowitz of the University of California, the communication and attention-getting skills of dogs were investigated.

When one of the two dogs was facing away or otherwise preoccupied, attention-getting behaviors and signals nudging, barking, growling, pawing, jumping, etc.

Stronger or more frequent signaling was used if the attention of the other dog was not captured. These observations tell us that these dogs know how play behavior and signaling can be used to capture attention, communicate intent and desire, and manipulate one another.

This characteristic and skill, called the "attention-getting skill" has generally only been seen in humans, but is now being researched and seen in many different species.

Observing play behavior in various species can tell much about the player's environment including the welfare of the animal , personal needs, social rank if any , immediate relationships, and eligibility for mating. Play activity, often observed through action and signals, serves as a tool for communication and expression.

Through mimicry, chasing, biting, and touching, animals act out in ways that send messages to one another; whether it's an alert, initiation of play, or expressing intent. When play behavior was observed for a study in Tonkean macaques , it was discovered that play signals weren't always used to initiate play; rather, these signals were viewed primarily as methods of communication sharing information and attention-getting.

One theory—"play as preparation"—was inspired by the observation that play often mimics adult themes of survival. Predators such as lions and bears play by chasing, pouncing, pawing, wrestling, and biting, as they learn to stalk and kill prey.

Prey animals such as deer and zebras play by running and leaping as they acquire speed and agility. Hoofed mammals also practice kicking their hind legs to learn to ward off attacks. Indeed, time spent in physical play accelerates motor skill acquisition in wild Assamese macaques.

In social animals, playing might also help to establish dominance rankings among the young to avoid conflicts as adults. John Byers, a zoologist at the University of Idaho , discovered that the amount of time spent at play for many mammals e.

rats and cats peaks around puberty, and then drops off. This corresponds to the development of the cerebellum , suggesting that play is not so much about practicing exact behaviors, as much as building general connections in the brain.

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