Years ago, a series of studies sought to determine how a fence, a boundary, affected the cognition and behavior of children in a playground. The researchers constructed a playground with no fences. During the experiment, the children stayed in the center—almost in fear—and never ventured out beyond the playground structure. Then the researchers put up a fence. Immediately, the children’s behavior changed. Instead of fearfully staying in the center of the playground, they roamed with freedom all the way to the fence, exploring and enjoying the entire space.16 Ironically, fences brought freedom.
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