ROCHESTER, NY—Research has long linked play and playfulness to adult well-being, yet adults often find play challenging. Adulthood includes significant demands—from work to parenting to household chores—and it often leaves little time to enjoy the benefits of play. New research in the American Journal of Play suggests that “play guilt” may be a big barrier, too.
Authors Doug Maynard, Lars Ellwanger, Lucia Daher, and Michael Jacacki from the State University of New York at New Paltz conducted interviews with 24 full-time college students and applied the grounded theory method to explore the idea of play guilt. Their analysis found that most of their participants struggled to play because of an internal voice urging them to be productive instead of playing. Participants feeling more academic pressure or shouldering more responsibilities reported higher levels of play guilt. For those that still made time to play, guilt shortened the duration of their play and reduced its pleasurable aspects.
The study suggests that adults can help combat these feelings by thinking of play as something productive and remembering the emotional and cognitive benefits that it provides. Adults can also choose activities that feel more fulfilling and beneficial (active play versus passive play). They can also set time limits and use play time as a reward for hard work.
The complete issue of the American Journal of Play can be read freely online. Additional interviews and articles include:
- Hurried Children and the Power of Play: An Interview with David Elkind
- Play-Based Learning and the Play Cycle: A Consideration of the Adult Role in the Process of Play by Pete King
- Introducing the Playful-Tension Model: Putting Play Theory into Practice by Jess Uhre Rahbek
- Using Playable Fictions and Board Game Design to Teach Climate Change in a Middle School Science Classroom by Kaylee Laub and Earl Aguilera
About the American Journal of Play
The American Journal of Play is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary publication that serves as a forum for discussing the history, science, and culture of play. Published three times each year by The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, the Journal includes articles, interviews, and book reviews written for a broad readership that includes educators, psychologists, play therapists, sociologists, anthropologists, folklorists, historians, museum professionals, toy and game designers, policy makers, and others who consider play for a variety of reasons and from various perspectives.