When Jaak Panksepp, a neuroscientist at Washington State University, restricted the free exploration and play of his young rats, their frontal lobes (which control executive function) failed to grow properly. As adults, they behaved like rat-style sociopaths. “We had the insight that if animals don’t play, if there are not sufficient spaces for them to engage, they develop play hunger,” said Panksepp. “They have impulse control problems and eventually problems with social interactions.” In contrast, animals given time to play appear to develop deeper and more durable neural hardware.
...more