TED Talk - Stuart Brown: Why play is vital -- no matter your age

Very cool - play is good for what ails ya. More theoretically, play allows us to take care of the vulnerable child still living within all of us, and that's a very good thing. When we lose that child, we lose spontaneity, creativity, and joy.

A pioneer in research on play, Dr. Stuart Brown says humor, games, roughhousing, flirtation and fantasy are more than just fun. Plenty of play in childhood makes for happy, smart adults -- and keeping it up can make us smarter at any age

Dr. Stuart Brown came to research play through research on murderers -- unlikely as that seems -- after he found a stunning common thread in killers' stories: lack of play in childhood. Since then, he's interviewed thousands of people to catalog their relationships with play, noting a strong correlation between success and playful activity.

With the support of the National Geographic Society and Jane Goodall, he has observed animal play in the wild, where he first conceived of play as an evolved behavior important for the well being -- and survival -- of animals, especially those of higher intelligence. Now, through his organization, the National Institute for Play, he hopes to expand the study of human play into a vital science -- and help people everywhere enjoy and participate in play throughout life.

Tags: play, creativity, personal growth, TED Talk, Stuart Brown, Why play is vital, humor, games, roughhousing, flirtation, fantasy, success, National Institute for Play