Why Is Playfulness an Antidote to Despair?
Being playful means embracing life joyfully and unconditionally
“Adult playfulness is a personality trait that enables people to frame or reframe everyday situations in such a way that they experience them as entertaining, intellectually stimulating, or personally interesting.” (research paper)
Children are naturally playful. Many of us lose our playfulness as adults.
Playfulness is an attitude, a personality trait, and a life philosophy, all rolled into one.
Playfulness is lightheartedness. It’s the opposite of seriousness, but neither flippant nor childish.
Playful people are cheerful, mischievous, funny, humorous, and whimsical.
They are curious and seek novelty for intellectual stimulation. Many great inventors and innovators have had a playful streak about them.
Many do not accept playfulness as a personality trait, but it seems to be one because playful people consistently behave in certain ways. Perhaps we should consider it a subcomponent of one of the big five personality traits, like agreeableness.
I have an 85-year-old uncle who fits this playful type of personality. He sports a mischievous look on his face and is always ready to crack a good joke. He has what we call joie de vivre, which means “a delight in being alive; keen, carefree enjoyment of living.”
Playful people believe that suffering is inevitable, but pain is optional.
Being playful doesn’t guarantee peace of mind or a life without suffering.The optimism of playful people is grounded in realism.
They will not resist when the storm blows against them. They will bend to absorb its full force so that they can bounce back and flourish when the storm passes.
Playful people face despair head-on with the weapons in their armoury, like humour, intelligence, mischievousness, and whimsicality.
Their humour is benign; it’s meant to act as a buffer against misery and sadness, not as a sharp knife to hurt others or rail against life’s injustice.
It takes enormous courage to remain cheerful in the face of adversity.
The lighthearted know every moment will pass. They don’t let adversity overwhelm their minds.
Their keen sense of humour mocks life’s unpredictability, defies life’s harsh dictates, and transcends suffering.
Playfulness is partly learned or cultivated and partly inherited.
Playfulness predicts good physical and mental health as playful people adopt healthy lifestyles and prosocial behaviour.
A word of caution: like any good thing, playfulness can be carried too far. Prudence is the key to effective playfulness. It’s good to be lighthearted but dangerous to engage in risky behaviour.
The concept of play has received a lot of attention recently. It’s mainly related to recreational activities performed by people in groups. Play is seen as a stress-buster and a social glue.
Playfulness, on the other hand, is a way of life and a mental disposition, though playful people also engage in fun activities.
Despair is the loss of hope. Playfulness buffers us against despair because it never loses sight of the light at the end of the tunnel.
Playfulness is not levity; it’s a sign of high intelligence and noble wisdom.
There often seems to be a playfulness to wise people, as if either their equanimity has as its source this playfulness or the playfulness flows from equanimity; and they can persuade other people who are in a state of agitation to calm down and smile. -Edward Hoagland
Playfulness makes us laugh even when we are in dire straits without losing the ability to stand still, bend when necessary, and not break when the storm is blowing.
Playfulness is accepting life unconditionally, without resistance, indignation, or anger. It’s an unspoken prayer of peace, courage, and reconciliation.
Playfulness is not a lack of seriousness; it’s seriousness with a light touch.
Thanks for reading!
