Finding Time for Play May Help Keep Your Brain Healthy

Building fun into your day may strengthen neural connections as well as social ties

Freda Kreier

Updated November 15, 2024

Two similar-looking women on a couch with one wearing a comedy disguise

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Play is an important part of every child’s development. Turns out, it might also be a crucial part of aging well, too.

A small but growing number of studies suggest that a little adult play can go a long way toward helping to keep your brain strong and healthy. And there’s no need to mimic what you see on the playground. “It’s not so much about engaging in the pretend play that you did as a child; it’s using fun stuff to keep your mind going,” says William B. Barr, a professor of neurology and director of neuropsychology at New York University's Langone Medical Center.

Barr explains that adult play, which is simply engaging in a voluntary, pleasurable activity that in itself is more important than the outcome, can serve a valuable purpose. You can use play to strengthen and build new neural connections or reinforce those you developed earlier in life.

There are loads of studies showing how play helps children’s brains. Now, science is looking into how fun shapes the brains of adults. A study of 210 people ages 50 to 98 in Germany, reported in 2024 in Aging & Mental Health, found that those who said they took the time to add play to their day had an overall better sense of well-being than those who didn’t.

Higher playfulness was associated with reduced depressive symptoms in a survey of 400 adults ages 55+ in Singapore reported in 2023 in the Journal of Aging & Environment. And among 809 people ages 72 to 74 in Japan, those who spent more time on leisure activities — such as playing board games, practicing tai chi or going to a public bath — tested higher on cognitive, physical and mental health than those who didn’t, as reported in PLOS ONE in 2019.

There’s also nothing wrong with taking a little stroll back into childhood and revisiting some of the activities we all loved as kids. For instance, coloring books are having a comeback as more adults rediscover the calming, creative pastime. Even just giggling can make a difference. A 2018 review in Complementary Therapies in Medicine examined five laughter interventions among 369 people over age 60, concluding that laughter appears to improve mental health.

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What’s your fun style?

Fun can mean different things to different people. Stuart Brown, M.D., a psychiatrist and founder of the non-profit National Institute of Play — which funds research on the subject — has developed a list of eight “play personalities” and corresponding activities that jibe with each one. If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at this list and see if anything resonates.

Enjoy just messing around? The Joker is the standard image of tomfoolery. This is your class-clown, prank-loving, wisecracking kind of fun.
Explorers thrive on doing just that. If discovering new things makes you happy, you might want to lean into play by booking trips and trying out new experiences. Escape room, anyone?
Moving can bring its own kind of joy. Kinesthetes find joy through dancing, yoga, team sports or anything active. Winning isn’t the point here. Just focus on moving your body through physical space.
On the other hand, if winning is your thing, then you might be a Competitor. The good news is that there are endless ways to keep score: play chess in the park or devastate your relatives at Mario Kart. As long as you’re playing to win, you’re having fun.
Creators find play through the act of making things. This doesn’t have to be fine art. Fixing up an old car (or messed-up plumbing) is also a creative act.
Directors get their fun by making things happen. If the highlight of an event for you is the process of organizing it, you might want to look for other ways to incorporate this play style into your life. Perhaps party planning or putting together a group outing might be on your list?
Storytellers get a thrill out of using their imagination to build a narrative. Gossiping or writing a short story or novel — either works!
Finally, the stamp collectors in your life will recognize themselves in the Collector. But just a note: collectors aren’t just getting a kick out of objects. You can also collect experiences.

So, how much time should you allot to daily play? “Ideally, you should aim for 30 minutes,” Barr suggests. But even a few minutes of uninterrupted playtime each day are better than none.