Adults Need Play Too—Here’s Why Experts Say It’s Essential for Your Well-Being

In a culture that rewards productivity and efficiency, play can start to feel indulgent. But experts suggest the opposite is true: Play is a key part of how we regulate stress, build relationships, and stay mentally flexible over time—and it’s something adults never really outgrow. Here’s what play looks like in adulthood, and how to bring more of it into your everyday life in ways that support your mental health. 

What Counts as Play in Adulthood?

One of the biggest misconceptions is that play has to look childlike, like playing tag or building forts. In adulthood, however, play can take different forms.

According to Megan Collins, MA, LMFT, art therapist and owner of NeuroArts Therapy and Consulting, play is any activity where the process matters more than the outcome. “You’re doing it because it feels good, not to produce something or impress anyone,” she says.

“When you lead with curiosity, you’re following your interest, not your obligation.” She adds that adults engage in play more often than they realize, but tend to dismiss it as silliness. 

And it’s not just the activity itself that matters. Collins says adopting a playful mindset can be just as important when it comes to supporting mental well-being. That shift can look like moving away from a perfection-focused mindset, and toward a more curious, exploratory approach.

“Play for adults can look like losing yourself in a daydream, picking up a paintbrush with no plan, or tending to a garden without caring if it’s perfect,” Collins says. “Sometimes it’s as simple as singing at the top of your lungs in the car, or dancing alone in your kitchen to your favorite high school throwbacks. None of it needs to produce anything, [but] that’s exactly the point.” 

Play Is Essential for Mental Health 

Experts say play in adulthood supports mental health in many ways, including boosting creativity, sharpening problem-solving skills, and building resilience. “One of the biggest things play does is interrupt survival mode,” says Alyssa Kushner, LCSW, a licensed therapist, nervous system educator, and founder of AK Psychotherapy, noting that play helps regulate stress and calm the nervous system. “So many adults are living in a chronic state of anxiety, urgency, stress, and emotional overwhelm as their baseline. Play gives the nervous system an opportunity to shift out of fight-flight-freeze-fawn mode and back into the present moment.” That’s because play taps into freedom, imagination, and enjoyment—all things the nervous system needs in order to regulate. 

Play also shapes emotional and social development. “Contrary to popular belief, empathy continues to develop and be shaped into adulthood,” says Meera Khan, PsyD, clinical director and licensed clinical psychologist at LifeStance Health. “Through play, people gain and evolve their capacity to be curious about others' perspectives and experiences.” She explains that play can help develop neurocognitive flexibility and expand emotional capacity, while also creating space for people to experiment with different identities, perspectives, or emotional experiences. “This 'trying on' can be helpful for queer populations and identity expression, for advanced perspective-taking or empathy between people, for conflict resolution or intimacy,” Khan says. 

According to Kushner, play is also one of the most overlooked tools for addressing burnout because it reconnects people with joy, spontaneity, and their authentic selves. “Mentally, play interrupts the part that's constantly thinking, doing, and producing, giving the brain a break from executive overdrive. Physically, it regulates the vagus nerve, lowers cortisol, increases heart rate variability, and releases dopamine without the crash that comes from constant output.”

Kushner adds that play can also function similarly to inner child work. “Many adults learned early on to prioritize responsibility, achievement, emotional caretaking, or survival over joy and spontaneity.” Reengaging in playful, creative, low-pressure activities can help people reconnect with parts of themselves that may have been neglected or forced to mature too quickly. “Play becomes a way of meeting those younger parts and giving them what they didn't get the first time,” Kushner says.

The Reason Play Feels So Hard for Adults

For many adults, the real barrier to play is permission. “We tend to assume play stops in childhood, so trying to engage that part of the brain can feel unacceptable due to societal norms and socialization,” Khan says. Play can seem at odds with traditional ideas of adulthood, which often prioritize responsibility, efficiency, and productivity. 

That pressure can make play feel uncomfortable, especially for people who are used to optimizing every part of their day. “Play requires just being a beginner. For adults who’ve built their whole identity around competence and productivity, it’s generally uncomfortable stepping outside your role, even briefly, but it feels destabilizing and vulnerable before it feels freeing,” Collins says.

Easy Ways to Bring More Play Into Your Life

To bring play back into your routine, experts suggest finding small, low-pressure moments that invite curiosity and ease. 

Start with something purely creative, with no pressure to be good at it, like doodling or coloring, dancing in your kitchen, building a Lego set, working through a puzzle, or picking up an easy board or card game. “Low-stakes creativity activates parts of the brain associated with flexibility and enjoyment,” Kushner says.

Play can also show up in connection with others, especially through light, playful exchanges with someone you feel emotionally safe with, like texting an inside joke to a friend or inventing a handshake with your partner. “Co-regulation through laughter and connection is one of the most efficient ways to shift the nervous system out of stress mode, and it builds closeness,” Kushner says. 

She also points to something as simple as going for a walk without your phone or a podcast. Even 10 minutes of movement with a wandering mind can count as play when it’s done without a goal, she notes, because it leaves space for curiosity and spontaneity rather than health optimization or tracking steps. 

“Play isn't something you earn after the to-do list is done. It's one of the most underrated ways to come back to yourself, especially if you've spent years being the responsible one, the productive one, or the person who holds it all together,” Kushner says, underscoring its importance in adulthood.