Benefits of play?

[Wolfhnd]

The benefits of play seems pretty obvious in terms of mental and physical development. In most animals it is predominant during developmental stages and declines with experience. The spatial element seems equally obvious as it primarily takes place in a designated safe environment. Play also seems less casual than other predispositions. What I mean by that like other primary instincts it appears obligatory. This could be seen as pointless hyperactive behavior in the immature.

 

Like all behavior there is most likely not one explanation for play but a variety of fitness benefits. What is interesting however is the emerging idea of the coevolution of culture and the brain. While the debate over nature and nurture is certainly nothing new the idea of assignment of causes and effects seem to be diminishing. Using humans as an example as the culture (environment, technology) evolves so does the brain. As culture evolves the more advantageous it is to have a large brain in an endless positive feedback loop. Nothing new here up to the point that we are starting to see evidence that the same process is reflected in individual development. Play doesn't just reorganize the brain it stimulates it's physical development.

 

The following articles illustrate the importance of "culture" to the physical development of the brain.

 

So You Think You Know Why Animals Play

 

"Researchers teased apart the factors that promoted this brain growth and found that sensory stimulation and arousal (even together) couldn't increase cortical growth unless they were coupled with interactive behavior (i.e. play or training). And it was play that had the biggest impact; in fact, the more a young rat played, the more rapidly its brain grew"

 

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/05/17/so-you-think-you-know-why-animals-play/

 

 

Study: Extended ICU stays cause brain damage

 

Staying in an intensive care unit is bad for your brain, according to a study by Vanderbilt University researchers, who determined that mental loss persists for as long as a year afterward.

Results of the study published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine indicate that a third of patients suffer mental deficits akin to moderate traumatic brain injury and about a quarter of them have impairments similar to a mild stage of Alzheimer's disease. Hospitals need to do a better job of keeping ICU patients alert, getting them out of their beds when possible and recognizing that drug-induced comas can do more harm than good, according to the study's authors.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/02/study-icu-coma-brain-impairment/2912441/

Do you feel that the "blank slate" idea recedes a little bit everyday and is about to disappear? Our we seeing a cultural shift? Or do these studies just illustrate the importance of culture?

Edited February 8, 2015 by Wolfhnd

[Wolfhnd]

I'm reading a paper titled

 

Evolving the future: Toward a science of intentional change

 

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24826907

 

The paper is trying to show a method for developing a theory of cultural evolution based on biological evolutionary principles.

 

One of the points the author makes is that the "blank slate" cannot be declared dead just yet. If you are wondering what any of this has to do with the original post it is just a rehashing of the endless nature and nurture debate.