Few animals continue to play into adulthood. Humans do. Play sculpts the brain, Brown maintains. In horsing around, pretending, telling stories, moving our bodies, creating, making jokes, tinkering, being curious, competing in sports, daydreaming, and playfully exploring novel experiences—like soaring on a trapeze, or writing a book, even—the brain creates rich new neural connections that fire together in new ways. As a child, play is how we begin to understand ourselves and the way the world works, simulating experiences and emotions, learning skills without risk. As adults, play is what
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