Prompt Cast
The Power of Play: How Engaging in Play Can Enhance Brain Function and Neuroplasticity
TLDR Engaging in play, regardless of age or whether or not we have ADHD, can positively impact our nervous system, enhance our ability to focus, and promote neuroplasticity. Play releases endogenous opioids in the brain, allowing for exploration and learning in a low-stakes environment, and can rewire circuits inhibited by trauma and stress.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Play has the power to change our nervous system for the better, allowing us to perform activities more effectively, explore new ways of being, and enhance our ability to focus, regardless of age or whether or not we have ADHD.
06:35
The size of our visual window, or the aperture, impacts our internal state and can suppress the activity of neurons in the brainstem that control our breathing, which suggests that the size of the screen we're looking at can impact our ability to learn and remember information.
12:31
Play is homeostatically regulated and releases endogenous opioids in the brain, allowing the prefrontal cortex to explore different roles and contingencies in a safe way.
18:51
Your personal play identity is plastic throughout your entire lifespan and can be adjusted in ways that benefit you in work, relationships, and overall happiness.
25:35
Play allows children and adults to explore different outcomes and roles in a low-stakes environment, expanding the brain's capabilities and allowing for learning and growth.
31:50
Play is a powerful tool for increasing the plasticity of the prefrontal cortex, allowing for exploration of different possibilities and contingencies in a low-stakes environment, and is characterized by specific postures and behaviors such as head tilting, softening of the eyes, and partial postures.
37:58
Play is characterized by specific postures and behaviors such as head tilting, softening of the eyes, and partial postures, and is a low-stakes activity that involves an agreed-upon set of rules about how high the stakes are.
43:47
Play serves many functions, including rule testing, establishing hierarchies, and expanding the brain's capacity, and for play to be effective, it should involve low stakes, relaxation, and low levels of adrenaline.
50:16
Engaging in play with low stakes and low levels of adrenaline allows for the release of endogenous opioids, which promotes creativity, exploration, and the expansion of capabilities in various domains, including sports, engineering, and music.
56:21
Engaging in play, particularly with new groups of individuals and in different forms, is crucial for promoting neuroplasticity and maintaining a playful stance throughout life.
01:02:51
Engaging in low-stakes play and maintaining a playful spirit throughout life is crucial for promoting neuroplasticity and allowing for the learning of new things.
01:09:12
Engaging in play during childhood allows for the pruning of unnecessary neural connections and the strengthening of important ones, shaping our behavior and cognitive functions as adults.
01:16:03
Engaging in play as adults, particularly through activities like dance and exploration of novel movements, can reactivate circuits in the brain that were inhibited by trauma and stress, allowing for rewiring and increased plasticity.
01:22:32
Engaging in play that involves dynamic movements, such as dance or sports, can open up plasticity in the brain and promote the exploration of different roles and perspectives, while activities like chess can also expand plasticity by allowing players to assume multiple identities and explore different strategies.
01:28:50
Personal play identity, which is shaped by our play experiences and preferences during childhood, plays a significant role in how we show up in various activities and relationships as adults.
01:35:51
Play is an important aspect of our nervous system that can change our brain for the better throughout our entire lifespan, and engaging in at least one hour of dedicated play per week can open up neural circuits for plasticity and promote exploration with low stakes.
Categories:
Health & Fitness
Science
