Why Adults Should Still Play Make-Believe
Remember when a cardboard box could be a spaceship, a mighty fort, a secret hideout? When a stick became a magic wand, and your backyard transformed into an enchanted forest? You don't need a transmogrifier to create these inventions—just a sprinkle of imagination.
Truth be told, embracing a little make-believe can be a powerful tool for adults, especially when it comes to boosting creativity and benefiting our busy lives. As we grow up, "make-believe" often gets swapped out for "reality" and "responsibility." We train ourselves to think literally, logically, and within established frameworks. While these are essential skills, they can sometimes put a damper on our innate creative spark. Fortunately, the ability to imagine and pretend is a muscle, and just like any muscle, it gets stronger with use!
By now, during our week focused on "play", you probably have a good feel for the benefits you can expect from "pretending":
Make-Believe Engages your Creativity— When you allow yourself to imagine scenarios that aren't real (whether it's brainstorming wildly impossible solutions to a problem, visualizing a fantastical new product, or simply dreaming up an alternate ending to a story) you're flexing your creative muscles. Make-believe encourages divergent thinking, helping you come up with fresh, unconventional ideas that you might not otherwise consider.
Make-Believe Tackles Problem-Solving from New Angles—Sometimes, the best way to solve a real-world problem is to approach it from an entirely different perspective. Make-believe allows you to "what if" a situation without real-world constraints. What if money wasn't an object? What if gravity worked differently? What if your client was a talking squirrel? These imaginative leaps can often reveal simple, elegant solutions hidden in plain sight.
Make-Believe Enhances Empathy and Understanding—Pretending to be someone else, or imagining yourself in a completely different situation (like a character in a book or a historical figure), is a powerful way to build empathy. It helps you step into another's shoes, understand their motivations, and see the world from a new viewpoint, which is incredibly valuable in relationships and professional interactions.
Make-Believe Offers Mental Escape—Sometimes, life gets heavy. Make-believe offers a fantastic, low-stakes way to escape reality for a bit. Whether you're getting lost in a richly imagined fantasy novel, designing a dream home in your head, or simply visualizing yourself on a peaceful beach, these imaginative journeys can be incredibly calming and rejuvenating for the mind.
Make-Believe Develops Adaptability and Mental Flexibility—Playing "pretend" inherently involves adapting to imaginary rules, changing scenarios, and unexpected plot twists. This mental agility translates into real-world resilience, helping you navigate unexpected challenges with more grace and ingenuity.
Whether you're daydreaming on your commute, brainstorming a "what if", or simply allowing yourself to get wonderfully lost in a fictional world, you're not just playing; you're building a sharper, more creative, and more resilient adult mind.
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Today's Action Prompt: Make the effort to intentionally play "make-believe" without any distractions. It could be imagining your commute as a grand adventure, mentally redesigning your favorite room with no budget, or picturing what your pet would say if they could talk. Let your imagination run free! The more you flex this oft-neglected muscle, the more powerful it (and you) will become.