Play How It Shapes the Brain Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul (Audible Audio Edition) Stuart Brown Christopher Vaughan MD Michael Hinton Tantor Audio Books
Download As PDF : Play How It Shapes the Brain Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul (Audible Audio Edition) Stuart Brown Christopher Vaughan MD Michael Hinton Tantor Audio Books
From a leading expert, a groundbreaking book on the science of play, and its essential role in fueling our happiness and intelligence throughout our lives.
We've all seen the happiness on the face of a child while playing in the school yard. Or the blissful abandon of a golden retriever racing across a lawn. This is the joy of play. By definition, play is purposeless, all-consuming, and fun. But as Dr. Stuart Brown illustrates, play is anything but trivial. It is a biological drive as integral to our health as sleep or nutrition. We are designed by nature to flourish through play. Particularly in tough times, we need to play more than ever, as it's the very means by which we prepare for the unexpected, search out new solutions, and remain optimistic.
A fascinating blend of cutting-edge neuroscience, biology, psychology, social science, and inspiring human stories of the transformative power of play, this book proves why play just might be the most important work we can ever do.
Play How It Shapes the Brain Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul (Audible Audio Edition) Stuart Brown Christopher Vaughan MD Michael Hinton Tantor Audio Books
This is a wonderful book. Stuart Brown points out something that the modern world desperately needs to hear: to play is to be human. Brown, drawing on a fair bit of recent scientific research, argues that approaching life with a playful attitude is not only important for being a happy person, but it's also important for being a creative person. Children lose the desire to learn when they are placed in kindergarten- where "work" and "play" are very strictly separated- and where play itself is sometimes removed entirely, with recess being cancelled to attend to more "serious" things. Brown's discussion of what constitutes play is especially fascinating. One point that he makes again and again is that true play requires a person to let go of pride. A game of Twister would be horrible if everybody were concerned about what others thought of them. A brainstorming session fails when people are afraid of being criticized for silly ideas. In short, play requires humility. Developing a humble spirit around others allows one to truly play with others- and since play is that which fosters creativity, a culture where humility is the rule is a far healthier culture, economically and socially.There are a couple of minor gripes I had with the book. The first is the personalization of the brain. Brown sometimes speaks of the brain "doing" this and that, or "accomplishing" an activity. But the brain doesn't act- persons do. The notion that one can "program" the brain is based on the reification of a rather poor analogy (between brains and computers) and it needs to go. I don't know what Brown's philosophy is, but this is based on an outdated scientific materialism. Related to this is the occasional use of evolutionary psychology. These are all just-so stories- and a little thought usually dissolves them. We aren't just machines programmed to play- we are whole persons, designed to rejoice in this wonderful and beautiful world. Regardless, this element really doesn't take much value out of the book, which is chock-full of wonderful insights and practical applications.
We need to be deadly serious about play.
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Play How It Shapes the Brain Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul (Audible Audio Edition) Stuart Brown Christopher Vaughan MD Michael Hinton Tantor Audio Books Reviews
This is such a wonderfully helpful book for any kind of educator. We often get so caught up in the minutiae of assignments, grading, etc. that we can lose sight of the real joy of teaching and learning. This book supplies us with the information and ammunition we need to remember why we entered the teaching profession in the first place. It also inspires ideas about how to better involve our students in their own, playful, learning process. I highly recommend it-- a joyful read!
This book is paean for play. Brown says of himself that he is unabashed play advocate and he points to the various ways that play is important for development, physical and mental health, and even the existence of all civilization. I think of myself of as a kind of play advocate as well; I think most people—adult and children alike—need more (or better) play in their lives. Yet I think Brown’s enthusiasm about the importance of play probably outstrips the evidence. In some ways, he is overly broad about what gets included as play (and conversely what excluded).
The book is definitely pitched at a more general audience (for example, there is no bibliography to help one follow up on the various research studies he talks about). I would have liked and was expecting some more analysis of the science behind the claims he makes – but as a general trade book this just doesn’t get below the surface.
Nevertheless, there is a lot of value here. Brown has some wonderful anecdotes about the impact of play. He does provide a window into the role play has in development of children and our species. He discusses the ways that the lack of play affects us as adults and suggests some ways to rediscover our play. In this way, the book is a kind of self-help book. It is a good starting point for people thinking about the value and importance of play.
This is a wonderful book. Stuart Brown points out something that the modern world desperately needs to hear to play is to be human. Brown, drawing on a fair bit of recent scientific research, argues that approaching life with a playful attitude is not only important for being a happy person, but it's also important for being a creative person. Children lose the desire to learn when they are placed in kindergarten- where "work" and "play" are very strictly separated- and where play itself is sometimes removed entirely, with recess being cancelled to attend to more "serious" things. Brown's discussion of what constitutes play is especially fascinating. One point that he makes again and again is that true play requires a person to let go of pride. A game of Twister would be horrible if everybody were concerned about what others thought of them. A brainstorming session fails when people are afraid of being criticized for silly ideas. In short, play requires humility. Developing a humble spirit around others allows one to truly play with others- and since play is that which fosters creativity, a culture where humility is the rule is a far healthier culture, economically and socially.
There are a couple of minor gripes I had with the book. The first is the personalization of the brain. Brown sometimes speaks of the brain "doing" this and that, or "accomplishing" an activity. But the brain doesn't act- persons do. The notion that one can "program" the brain is based on the reification of a rather poor analogy (between brains and computers) and it needs to go. I don't know what Brown's philosophy is, but this is based on an outdated scientific materialism. Related to this is the occasional use of evolutionary psychology. These are all just-so stories- and a little thought usually dissolves them. We aren't just machines programmed to play- we are whole persons, designed to rejoice in this wonderful and beautiful world. Regardless, this element really doesn't take much value out of the book, which is chock-full of wonderful insights and practical applications.
We need to be deadly serious about play.
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