Mariel Cigarra

That's Jeff Harry.

He's a play coach.

Companies hire him to get their employees to play more.

And he says play looks different depending on who you are.

It could be whitewater rafting or pickleball.

It could be making a podcast.

It could be cooking.

As adults, we often stop playing.

Sometimes we even forget how to do it.

Dr. Stuart Brown, a play researcher and physician psychiatrist by training, says that is a problem because play is a central part of our existence.

On this episode of Life Kit, why we should play as adults and how to do it.

We'll help you figure out what feels like play to you using the concept of play personalities and how to work it into your life, even if you don't have a lot of free time.

Before we get into the how of play, let's talk about the why.

First off, you should know that humans are not the only animals that play.

Obviously, domesticated animals like dogs and cats do it, but so do bears and leopards and bison and ravens and dolphins, and the list goes on.

And from an evolutionary perspective, play might not make sense at first.

It often seems to have no purpose, and it can come at a cost.

You know, it uses up energy, and it can even be dangerous.

But animal play scholars and biologists argue that play does serve a number of purposes.

That it can help us adapt to difficult circumstances, to practice skills that we need to survive, to problem-solve, and to collaborate.