December 11th, 2023 - LEGO isn’t play?

The topic of adults and play hits mainstream headlines every once in a while. Newsweek had a story on it back in July, NBCNews wrote about it in 2018. The topic hit social media this past week when Myles Turner from the Indiana Pacers talked about Lego in a press conference, though he might not agree that the story is about play.

“I don’t play with Legos*, I build with Legos,” Turner said.

He doesn’t play with Lego. The word is literally created from the phrase Leg Godt meaning “play well” in Danish. Most of the modern adult world still considers play to be something children do. That play is child-ISH, unserious, and only a way to waste time for adults. This mindset is absolute rubbish.

Play is literally VITAL to human function, across the entire lifespan. To exist as an adult, our brain has to grow and develop across every situation we experience as humans - our brains must be “plastic”. The single most efficient and successful way to ensure neuroplasticity is play. Play is also the absolute best way to regulate stress levels and keep ourselves mentally and physically healthy.

But it’s almost taboo to discuss the concept of adults playing. This all started (likely accidentally) 12,000 years ago when we transitioned from hunter/gatherers to farming communities. Leaders during the Industrial Revolution then strategically positioned leisure and rest as something to be earned through tireless work. It's a lie that still persists today!

Success comes from skilled performances, incredible creations, and optimal experiences…which are most likely (and often) acheived in flow. But switching in and out of flow isn’t sustainable for humans as our feel-good hormones and do-your-best neurochemicals (dopamine, serontonin, endorphins, anadamide, brain-derived neurotropic factors, etc) get depleted quickly through a “work hard, now work harder, ok, now just keep working as hard as you can” modality. Humans MUST replenish and respect all those hormones and that is done by PLAYING.

And what Myles Turner does with Lego, is play, whether he’ll admit it or not. He’s voluntarily participating in an activity that he controls, enjoys, and does for no real apparent reason, just because he enjoys it. He’s creating a lifestyle for himself that will allow him to get into flow regularly while training and in games by playing in the release and recovery stages of the flow cycle.

Let’s normalize that! Adults can tap into a vibrant life through playful living. Give yourself permission to play.

*(Lego doesn’t get pluralized. The type of Lego item does. Lego brickS, Lego kitS, Lego elementS, Lego pieceS, Lego buildS, etc).