Using Play to Rewire & Improve Your Brain | Huberman Lab Essentials

Introduction to Huberman Lab Essentials and the Power of Play00:00

Welcome to Huberman Lab Essentials, where past episodes are revisited for the most potent and actionable science-based tools for mental health, physical health, and performance. Andrew Huberman is a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. This episode discusses the biology, psychology, and utility of play. Much of childhood development centers around play, whether organized or spontaneous. Adults also need to play.

Utility of Play Across Life Stages00:31

Play is generated through connectivity of many brain areas, with a key area being the periaqueductal gray (PAG), a brainstem area rich with neurons that make endogenous opioids (e.g., enkephalin). These are self-made opioids, not related to the opioid crisis. Play evokes small amounts of opioid release, creating a chemical state that allows the prefrontal cortex—responsible for executive function (predictions, assessing contingencies like "if this, then that")—to get smarter. Normally rigid, the prefrontal cortex works in concert with primitive circuitries. During play, PAG opioids enable it to take on different roles and explore contingencies safely.

Play as Low-Stakes Contingency Exploration02:30

Play is exploration of contingencies (if A, what happens? If B, what happens? If someone does C, what do I do?) in low-stakes environments, expanding the catalog of potential outcomes. This enriches emotional, intellectual, and social lives. Tinkerers, creatives, and those building technologies/art maintain strong play elements. Toddlers reveal fundamental rules of brain-world interaction through play. Play allows exploring outcomes in low-stakes settings, assuming uncomfortable roles outside normal life, relating to PAG opioids enabling prefrontal cortex expansion.