Reconnect with your inner child

Nearly half of adults (49%) are putting their happiness and success at risk by missing out on 'playtime'.

No longer just for kids, the importance of play is increasingly being recognised as an important ‘pressure valve’ for adults, whether in the workplace or at home.

But new research out today shows people are too busy to play, because of work getting in the way (19%) or family commitments (23%).

So busy are we that almost a tenth of us (8%) haven’t played a game in the last year, whether that’s with friends, a partner or even our children.

It's not just the experts who see the value of play - today's research, which was commissioned by London 2012 sponsors, Cadbury, shows over two thirds of people describe play as important but despite this it seems to be something that is falling by the wayside in our hectic lives.

But if games are just for kids then what is the true value of game time? And how can we find time to cram some games into our busy lives?

Dr. Stuart Brown, the founder of the National Institute for Play and the author of the report, advises that not finding time for play poses risks to happiness and success:

“Play is essential to our social skills, adaptability, intelligence, creativity, ability to problem solve, and more. It is through play that we learn how to resolve conflict and create community. Play is hardwired into our brains—it is the mechanism by which we become resilient, smart, and adaptable people. With advice and support employers can integrate play into their work environments and benefit not only society but also their profit margin.”

Other findings in the report include:

Competitive streak – Only 30% of people in Britain (who have played a game in the last year) play hard to try and win

All work and no play – 1 in 12 (8%) hadn’t played a game in over a year. All GB adults citied work and family commitments, lack of energy, no idea what to play, nobody to play with or nowhere to play as some of the reasons why not

Lonely Britain – 74% of people never play team sports and almost one fifth (18%) of the nation says they have nobody to play with

Favourite childhood game - Football was one of the most mentioned, followed by Monopoly

Quiz lovers - 25% of people in Britain most prefer to play quizzes, above board games (12%) and computer games (19%)
 
For more information visit: spotsvstripes.com