Why Adult Play Matters Beyond Simple Fun
Adults can benefit from play as much as children—not just as a reward, but something that helps regulate. — Valentina Ogaryan
—What lingers after this line?
One-minute reflection
What's one small action this suggests?
Reframing Play as a Lifelong Need
Valentina Ogaryan’s quote opens by challenging the common assumption that play is primarily for children or reserved for leisure after “real work” is done. Instead, it proposes that adults benefit just as deeply—suggesting play is not a childish leftover but a human capacity that stays relevant across the lifespan. From there, the quote nudges us to see play less as entertainment and more as a functional practice. In other words, play is not merely optional; it can be restorative and skill-building in the same way sleep, movement, and social connection are.
Play as Regulation, Not Just Reward
The key distinction Ogaryan makes is between play as a reward and play as regulation. A reward mindset treats play as something you “earn” once you’ve pushed through stress; regulation treats play as something that helps you manage stress in the first place. This shift matters because it changes when and why adults allow themselves to play. Consequently, play becomes a tool for returning to balance—emotionally and physically—rather than a guilty pleasure. Much like a short walk can downshift anxiety, a playful activity can interrupt rumination, soften self-criticism, and create a felt sense of safety or lightness.
The Body’s Role in Playful Reset
Because regulation involves the nervous system, play often works through the body before it works through the mind. Activities like tossing a ball, dancing in the kitchen, or joking with a friend can alter breathing, muscle tension, and attention. In that way, play can act as a bottom-up reset: the body signals “we’re okay,” and the mind follows. Building on this, play tends to be rhythmic, social, or imaginative—three qualities often associated with calming and reorganizing the stress response. Even brief moments of silliness can change the emotional weather of a day, especially when stress has narrowed a person’s range of feeling and thought.
Creativity, Flexibility, and Adult Resilience
Once play is understood as regulation, its cognitive benefits become easier to appreciate. Play loosens rigid thinking, invites experimentation, and allows low-stakes failure—conditions that strengthen creativity and problem-solving. This is why playful brainstorming in teams often produces better ideas than pressure-filled performance environments. Moreover, play rehearses adaptability. When adults improvise in a game, try a new hobby, or banter with a friend, they practice shifting perspectives and tolerating uncertainty. Over time, that flexibility can translate into resilience: the capacity to recover, reframe, and keep moving through difficulty.
Relationships: Play as Social Regulation
Play is also interpersonal regulation. Shared laughter, teasing that stays kind, and cooperative games can rebuild connection after conflict or stress. In many relationships, the absence of play isn’t just a loss of fun—it can be a loss of repair, softness, and mutual ease. As a result, playful interaction often signals trust and emotional availability. A simple example is a couple cooking together and turning it into a small game—tasting, experimenting, joking—where the point isn’t efficiency but reconnection. That kind of play can quietly stabilize a relationship’s emotional climate.
Making Play a Practice, Not a Prize
If play helps regulate, then the practical takeaway is to integrate it intentionally rather than postponing it. This might mean adding short, repeatable forms of play—ten minutes of sketching, a word game, a playful workout class, or a lighthearted chat—especially during high-demand periods when regulation is most needed. Finally, Ogaryan’s idea implies a permission shift: adults don’t have to justify play by productivity. Play can be valued because it helps a person come back to themselves—more present, more flexible, and more emotionally steady—so that work, caregiving, and decision-making become easier to sustain.