Customer Reviews

Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the best books I have read recently. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would!
I've always believed "play" is the key to a successful life. The successful people I know enjoy playing( including my husband who is "the Kinesthete", "The Explorer", "The Collector", "The Artist/Creator", and "The Storyteller" according to Dr. Brown's play personality) even though they are busier than average Americans. On the other hand, the people who have rigid attitude towards "play" (they even make family members feel guilty about it!) are not as successful as above, even though they "earned highest grades at the best schools". This contrast becomes even more prominent when we become middle age. People who enjoy playing are not only more successful, but also happier.

Dr. Brown explains why this "'nonproductive activity can make one enormously more productive and invigorated in other aspects of life" with scientific evidence and full of interesting anecdotes. It will persuade you not to feel guilty pursuing your dream or enjoying your life because it will make you and your kids more successful and happier.

A clearly presented, detail rich book on evolutionary valence of play. Brown examines the issue from a variety of perspectives: neural plasticity, social norming, existential meaning. Brown offers an excellent blueprint for leveraging meaning, productivity, quality of life and wellness through incorporating play. The book is rich with psychological, social and occupational implications. Brown - an erudite author and an effective writer - is able to quickly introduce complex empirical findings and scientific observations about significance of play without losing the playfulness of narrative. Readers interested in concepts of "flow" (Czikszentmihalyi) and "lateral thinking" (de Bono) will find this book of particular interest.

Pavel Somov, Ph.D., author of "Eating the Moment"
[..]

Brown & Vaughn have written an excellent book. While it is fairly light reading it provides plenty of references for the value of play for those who require the reinforcement of rigorous studies. It provided many good suggestions for those who want to integrate more play into their lives. It also showed how upset "serious" people can get about this foreign notion that play is good for you. So read it for yourself and don't tell the "serious" people what you're doing!

I've got some mixed feelings about this one. The basic premise of the book is a very interesting one, as the subtitle says it discusses "how play shapes the brain, open the imagination and invigorates the soul". The author, Dr. Stuart Brown, is the founder of the National Institute for Play and seems like a prominent researcher in that field. The book is divided into two parts: part one "Why Play?" and part two "Living a Playful Life" and is well written, fluent, and easy to follow.

However, the main problem of the book, at least for me, is that most of the information in the book seems like typical common knowledge that I've already saw and read before in other places: newspapers, parenthood magazines, popular TV shows, etc. For example of so called common knowledge I can give the importance of cubs play in the animal kingdom to the development of hunting skills or social status. In addition, as the definition of "play" in the book is an extremely general one, basically almost every day activity, under some assumptions, can be classified as "play". As such the author can interpret almost every behavior as play and arrive to various conclusions.

Another problem is that the book feels at times, especially while reading part two, as a regular "live better" or "personal enlightenment" type of reading which describes simplified insights like that it is better if your daily work resembles a play (with the typical examples such as a doctor who started to bake breads as an hobby to eventually quitting his job at the hospital to develop his bread business). I guess we all know it, but I expected the book to present a more scientific insights to that common knowledge, but couldn't find any.

One thing that was indeed interesting but not well developed is the part of "play personality". That was a very interesting theory, even though the author itself say that it is just his theory and other researchers can preach to different classification. This part actually left me wanting more information and some further implications (e.g., what does it say about your personality in general? What kind of players each personality should be paired with?). I think that future research in that direction should be a very interesting one, and I will sure want to read a book that goes into depth in that direction.

To sum up, I would say that the author, probably as a consequence of trying to make the book very accessible, ended up with a kind of a story-telling, self-enlightening book instead of a "popular science" one. Most of the information is probably already known to most readers, while there are not allot of discussions about the science of play as one would expect from the title.

There were days at the middle school where I teach when I just wanted to fold paper with my students to see them interact with me and each other. These are inner-city toughies who really don't respond to much that passes for standard curriculum. They are angry and antsy and difficult and disrespectful. To watch them transform scraps of paper into sublime objects of beauty. To watch them as they reached outside their usual way of thinking to do something very different.

Most days, I just wanted to play. But how to justify this? I am expected to help kids read and write and do well on standardized tests. The kids very often hate me for my troubles. I don't blame them. The dank workbooks of generations gone by are of no relevance to them. Or me.

At the end of the school year, I taught my kids origami as a break from the norm. They relaxed and loved it and were delighted with themselves that they could turn scrap paper into beautiful things. They helped each other by explaining--by taking the story--the instructions--and putting it in their own words to help a peer. And they were playing.

This experience brought me to Brown's book. He talks about the importance of play in problem solving, social interaction, and, to use a broad brush, surviving this world in a healthy way.

Letting go and relaxing through play free the mind to reach beyond itself and thus find answers. Serendipity.

Brown's book is full of examples of serendipity in action in the science lab, the corporate conference room, the home sweet home. Play unlocks the mind, lets it sample possibilities, lets it seek and find a new level of possibilities. Play makes dreams come true.

Brown makes the statement that we start dying when we stop playing. He's right. His book makes the truth of the statement abundantly clear.

I picked up this book because I felt I needed more "play" in my life. And I am glad that I did. Dr. Brown explains the importance of "play" in our lives; not just in our personal lives but also in our work lives. Dr. Brown has done extensive research and provides actual case stories which provide insights in living a successful and productive life. "Play" in our lives bring fulfillment and joy in being who we are and what we do. I recommend this book to anyone who is trapped in a life of all work and no play!

I am currently reading this book. It is a wonderful addition to other books on play. However, very different as this focuses on all types of play for adults & animals alike. I recommend this to anyone that still has a playful side within & can remember the child that has grown!

In a culture gone mad with work and labor, Stuart Brown's work stands out as a vital and refreshing antidote. Play is not a trivial matter for children and artists. Rather, it is essential for health and function at every level of human experience. This courageous book makes the case for play in a way that is readable, fun and scientifically valid. I would recommend this book for every parent, educator and physical trainer.

I picked up "Play" with an idea in mind, and it had nothing to do with work. I'm a Neurologist and by the time I was a few pages into Stuart Brown's book, I was intrigued, and by the end...inspired. This book will positively influence how you think about your behavior and everyone else's. The weakness here is the largely anecdotal description. But this is also its strength: these descriptions give a logical framework to the case that Dr. Brown is attempting to make, that play is more than fun, more than a diversion, but integral to normal, healthy development and crucial to living a happy, fulfilled life.

Life-altering! PLAY changes perspective, maximizes joy, and zooms you up your road trip to savoring life. Work and play are both 4-letter words. Brown shows you how to PLAY with life and harness happiness. I have read almost every positive psychology book on the shelves, but this charming chunk of creativity trumps. Enjoy rather than problem-solve. Embrace change with new perspectives. I bought a second copy to take with me wherever I travel. A reminder that success is not always just hard work. This book rocks!