Play and Psychological Health: A Review of Recent Findings

Introduction

Play has long been recognized as fundamental to human development, yet its significance for psychological health across the lifespan continues to reveal new dimensions through contemporary research. Far from being merely a frivolous childhood activity, play is now understood to benefit children’s overall psychological, neurological, emotional and physical health. This essay synthesizes the latest research findings on play and psychological health, examining evidence from developmental neuroscience, clinical interventions, and lifespan studies conducted between 2020 and 2025.

The Neurobiological Foundations of Play

Recent neuroscience research has illuminated the brain mechanisms underlying play’s psychological benefits. Studies using animal models demonstrate that brain areas most likely involved in the modulation of play include regions within the prefrontal cortex, dorsal and ventral striatum, some regions of the amygdala, and habenula. The dopaminergic system appears central to play motivation, with research showing that c-fos expression increases in the habenula after 24 hours of isolation, reflecting a negative affective state associated with lack of social contact.

The importance of play for brain development is underscored by evidence showing that rats deprived of the opportunity to play as juveniles are impaired socially, emotionally, and cognitively when assessed as adults. This suggests the young mammalian brain is programmed to engage in playful behaviors, with adverse consequences when play opportunities are restricted.

Play and Stress Resilience in Children

Buffering Adverse Experiences

Recent research has focused on play’s role in helping children manage stress and develop resilience. A 2024 study examining children’s autonomic nervous system responses found that play can serve as a coping method for children enduring stressors and can improve cognitive capacity. The research demonstrated that children’s cognitive performance increased the most in both accuracy and improved reaction time in the baseline to play condition, suggesting play enhances executive function even under stressful circumstances.

The relationship between play deprivation and stress sensitivity has been investigated through rodent models. Rats deprived of social play have been shown to develop social and cognitive dysfunctions, with anomalies in anxiety, stress and social behaviour. These findings align with human research indicating that play in a natural environment can increase children’s problem-solving skills and resilience to stress.

Risky Play and Resilience Development

Emerging evidence highlights the importance of risky play for building resilience. Research with emergency care practitioners revealed that building resilience by learning to self-navigate failure, stress, and conflict in childhood play is perceived as an important marker for life-long independent threat navigation. Furthermore, coping with fear during childhood risky play is believed to bolster children’s distress tolerance and emotional regulation.

Studies confirm that risky play is essential for children’s health and development, reducing stress, boosting creativity, and strengthening mental wellness, resilience, and overall well-being. Children develop crucial skills including decision-making, perseverance, self-awareness, and independence through appropriately challenging play experiences.

Digital Play and Resilience

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked renewed interest in how children build resilience through various play modalities. Studies on resilience state that play develops resilience in young children, impacting their well-being. From a developmental perspective, play functions by developing various skill sets that optimize young children’s development and manage stress, building executive function and a more prosocial brain.

Research examining play-based learning during the pandemic found that children with strong play backgrounds demonstrated remarkable adaptability. Children drew upon skills developed in their prior playful experiences to navigate future life transitions and everyday stress, including enhanced emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, and social reciprocity.

Play Therapy: Evidence-Based Clinical Applications

Play Therapy for Children

Play therapy has demonstrated significant clinical efficacy across diverse pediatric populations. A 2024 meta-analysis examining play therapy in children with cancer found that the application of play therapy and games interventions in children with cancer reduces depressive symptoms, stress, and anxiety. Additionally, through these interventions, children can better express their feelings regarding the disease and collaborate in treatment.

Research focusing on children with chronic illnesses found that play therapy demonstrated a significant reduction in depression scores in the intervention group compared to the control group, while the control group did not show significant changes. These findings support incorporating play therapy into treatment protocols to enhance the mental health of children with chronic illnesses.

Beyond therapeutic settings, play benefits children’s experiences in and out of hospital, promoting and protecting opportunities for play in healthcare. Healthcare environments that incorporate play spaces help mitigate stress, provide a sense of normalcy in unfamiliar environments, and facilitate social engagement for children and their families.

Non-Therapeutic Play Interventions

A systematic review of non-therapeutic play interventions found promising results for emotional development. Play therapy is an effective approach to reduce emotional symptoms, stress and develop emotional sphere in early childhood. The review emphasized that play outside therapeutic settings can help children overcome emotional symptoms and develop emotional regulation and resilience.

Emotional intelligence, which contains four different large constructs: emotionality, self-control, sociability, and well-being, serves a central function in psychological resilience and can be enhanced through play-based activities.

Play Therapy for Adults

While play therapy is traditionally associated with children, recent research has demonstrated its effectiveness for adult populations. Play therapy for adults involves the use of various play activities to help individuals express themselves, work through psychological issues, and achieve optimal mental health.

Studies have shown multiple benefits of adult play therapy, including emotional expression, stress reduction, self-discovery, improved communication, and trauma processing. Research published in major psychology journals found that play therapy significantly reduced symptoms of PTSD in adult survivors of trauma and adults participating in play therapy experienced a decrease in depressive symptoms and an increase in overall life satisfaction.

For individuals with PTSD, play therapy offers a safe and supportive environment to explore traumatic experiences and begin the healing process, particularly effective for those who struggle to verbalize their trauma. The approach allows for releasing stored trauma through nonverbal expression and rebuilding a sense of control through activities like role-playing games or creative storytelling.

Play Across the Lifespan

Social Playfulness in Older Adults

Recent research has extended understanding of play’s benefits into late life. Interventions incorporating social playfulness in older adults have demonstrated positive benefits, enhancing mental health and social connectedness. Remarkably, the benefits of social playfulness in older adults extend beyond mental health to enhance cognitive performance and executive functions.

A 2025 neuroscience study proposed that brief playful interactions increased social connectedness, responsiveness, and positive affect in both older adults and young children. The research suggests that playful interactions encourage individuals to explore novel behaviors, requiring heightened alertness and flexibility that may support cognitive health in aging.

Play and Emotional Intelligence in Emerging Adults

Research examining play experiences in emerging adulthood reveals continued developmental benefits. Emerging adults develop emotional intelligence through play, and individuals who have higher emotional intelligence cope better with stressful encounters and produce more adaptive responses.

Studies demonstrate that emotional intelligence and resilience are enhanced through play, with emotional intelligence serving as an antecedent to resilience. The serial relationship between play experiences, emotional intelligence, positive emotions, and resilience suggests that play continues to support psychological health well beyond childhood.

Contemporary Challenges and Mental Health Trends

Digital Gaming and Youth Mental Health

The relationship between digital gaming and mental health presents a complex picture. A systematic review examining video game effects on children and adolescents found that adolescents who turn to gaming as a way to relieve tension or anxiety displayed lower participation in extracurricular activities, poorer academic outcomes, increased substance use, and higher rates of depression.

However, the relationship varies by gender and gaming intensity. Research indicates that boys experienced a more vital link between light gaming and well-being, whereas heavy gaming correlated with lower well-being, especially in girls, highlighting the importance of considering individual differences when examining connections between digital play and mental health.

Recent Mental Health Trends in Young People

Recent large-scale studies provide encouraging news about youth mental health. The 2024-2025 Healthy Minds Study, surveying over 84,000 college students, found that for the third year in a row, college students are reporting lower rates of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and suicidal thoughts.

Specifically, students reporting moderate to severe depressive symptoms dropped from 44% in 2022 to 37% in 2025, with severe depression falling from 23% to 18%. Additionally, students who seriously considered suicide in the past year dropped from 15% in 2022 to 11% in 2025. These sustained improvements suggest meaningful progress in addressing youth mental health challenges.

Clinical Implications and Future Directions

Strengths-Based Approaches

Recent research on ADHD illustrates the value of recognizing and cultivating strengths through playful approaches. A 2025 study found that adults with ADHD were more likely to strongly identify with specific strengths including hyperfocus, creativity, humor, and spontaneity. The research demonstrated that knowing that we have certain skills and positive qualities at our disposal and using these strengths where appropriate can be beneficial for our well-being.

Integration of Play in Healthcare Settings

The evidence supporting play in healthcare contexts continues to grow. Play benefits children’s overall psychological, neurological, emotional and physical health, particularly for children who are seriously ill and/or in hospital who have limited opportunities to play. Healthcare systems increasingly recognize that play is important for the overall development of the animal, and when deprived of opportunities to play as juveniles, individuals are impaired socially, emotionally, and cognitively.

Trauma-Informed Play Approaches

Modern approaches emphasize trauma-informed play practices. A trauma-informed approach recognizes that many children come to us with invisible backpacks filled with stress, anxiety, and adverse experiences impacting their growth and development. Creating environments where every child feels included, capable, and joyful is crucial for fostering resilience through play.

Conclusion

The research reviewed here demonstrates that play represents far more than childhood recreation—it is a fundamental mechanism supporting psychological health across the lifespan. From the neurobiological substrates involving dopaminergic pathways to clinical applications in diverse populations, play emerges as a powerful intervention for promoting mental health and resilience.

Recent findings emphasize several key points:

1. Play has measurable neurobiological effects, particularly involving prefrontal-striatal circuits and dopaminergic systems that support learning, emotional regulation, and stress management.
2. Play deprivation carries significant risks for social, emotional, and cognitive development, while appropriately challenging play experiences build resilience and coping capacity.
3. Play therapy demonstrates clinical efficacy across age groups and conditions, from pediatric cancer to adult PTSD, offering alternatives to traditional talk-based approaches.
4. Social playfulness benefits extend into older adulthood, supporting cognitive function and emotional well-being in aging populations.
5. The quality and context of play matter—risky outdoor play, creative expression, and social interaction each contribute unique benefits to psychological health.

As research continues to illuminate play’s multifaceted contributions to mental health, the challenge for practitioners, educators, and policymakers is to protect and promote play opportunities across settings and developmental stages. The evidence clearly indicates that supporting play is not indulgent but essential for psychological health and human flourishing.

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