Play is one of the most positive activities that human beings can do. Along with sports or reading, it greatly contributes to our well-being. And it is that, as it is an activity that generates pleasure, it helps us to release the feel-good hormones.
Equally, awakens our creativity, motor skills, encourages positive social interaction and even helps improve our mood. And to play, the alternatives are endless. From childhood dolls or balls, to virtual casinos or adult video games… If you are in the adult group, get your VIP bonuses and have a great time with the most entertaining games.
And there are games to train our body and mind. Physicists help us get moving and make friends and teams. Mental ones encourage concentration, strategic thinking and even patience. Next we tell you what are the things that happen in our brain, when we dedicate ourselves for a while to the pleasure of playing.
6 things that happen in our brain when we play
1. We secrete happiness hormones
The first thing that happens in the brain when we play is that we associate the moment with enjoyment, with pleasure. Then, we begin to generate hormones that arouse positive sensations. The first is serotonin, which is responsible for regulating our mood and reducing stress.. We also secrete acetylcholine, which favors concentration and memory. The generation of endorphins is promoted, which reduce tension and bring us calm. And finally, dopamine is also generated, which stimulates our muscles and also the imagination and the construction of images.
2. Improvement in intellectual performance
Yes. Even if it seems to you that playing is nothing more than spending free time entertaining ourselves, it also represents an investment in our intellectual growth. In fact, people, children and adults, who play frequently, report better planning and working memory capacities. There are even studies that reveal that people who play video games frequently can even increase their gray matter. This translates into better memory and learning capacity.
3. Improvement of motor skills
Specifically, when we talk about games that involve the body, physical exercises, we have a great improvement in the development of motor skills. Races, jumps, hide and seek, paint ball… Any type of game that gets us moving will promote our motor learning and procedural memory processing. It will help us regulate more precisely voluntary movements, their direction, amplitude or intensity. It also activates our eye movements and the focus of attention on a goal. Finally, playing also stimulates our motivated behavior, our actions that are focused on achieving a goal or a reward.
4. Decision making evolves
Another element that changes as we add the game as part of our regular dynamics is decision making. Whether we are in the middle of a video game, perhaps in a game of poker, or in a soccer game in the middle of the field, When we play we are forced to make decisions quickly and effectively. To move based on an immediate action, which will change the course of the game, defining it in one direction or another. It is therefore an excellent tool to help us train decision-making, and then apply it to our daily lives.
5. Brain aging is delayed
And among the most interesting events that occur in our brain when we play games regularly is the fact that brain aging is delayed, specifically when we play video games. In fact, The stimuli that these virtual worlds generate in the human brain are ideal for extending the life of neurons. So much so, that special video games have even been designed for the elderly and for people with Alzheimer’s. These promote memory, attention and the performance of simple actions. Even, in the case of patients with this disease, its evolution is delayed, while their mood improves.
6. Building communities and relationships
Games are viewed from multiple perspectives. Physical or even board games tend to encourage social relationships. Video games have traditionally been associated with remote or hermit personalities, but the reality is that this is not the case. Both traditional and virtual physical games help build relationships. In the narrowest case, they serve to foster links. It is, for example, what we see when a father plays with his son, or a pair of brothers play with each other.
But at a more macro level, more social and less focused on the family environment, games help build communities. People gather around tastes, interests, things they have in common. Bonds of friendship can then be created that are maintained over time.
In short, playing is one of the best activities we can do. A game of virtual poker or cards, a video game, a game of chess, an afternoon of racing, a soccer match… Whatever our interests, playing will help us feel happier, with better social ties, and to take general lines a better physical and mental performance. And you, do you play often? What are your favorite games? Go ahead and leave us all your opinions in a comment. We will be happy to read you!