Essentials: Using Play to Rewire & Improve Your Brain

Huberman Lab

Scicomm Media

Science, Life Sciences, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 30.3K Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2026

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I discuss why play is a powerful yet often overlooked tool for shaping the brain across the entire lifespan, not just during childhood. I explain how play engages specific brain circuits and neurochemicals, allowing us to explore different roles and learn in low-stakes environments uniquely suited to learning. I also describe why adults benefit from deliberately reintroducing play and which forms of play are most effective for expanding cognitive flexibility and creative thinking. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Mateina: https://drinkmateina.com/offer Our Place: https://fromourplace.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Power of Play (00:00:37) Play, Brain & Exploring Contingencies; Creatives (00:03:27) Childhood Play & Low-Stakes Scenarios (00:05:18) Sponsor: Mateina (00:06:21) Tool: Adults & Playful Mindset (00:08:53) Play Postures; Eyes (00:12:00) Group Play, Testing & Breaking Rules (00:14:32) Role Play (00:15:43) Sponsor: AG1 (00:16:34) Play Mindset, Low-Stakes Situations, Tool: Adult Play for Brain Health (00:22:29) Tinkerers & Creatives, Playful Spirit (00:24:54) Sponsor: Our Place (00:26:09) Tool: Play to Enhance Neuroplasticity: Dynamic Movement, Chess & Mental Roles (00:30:15) Personal Play Identity, Adulthood (00:33:23) Recap Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Huberman Lab Essentials,
0:02.0	where we revisit past episodes
0:04.0	for the most potent and actionable science-based tools
0:07.0	for mental health, physical health, and performance.
0:10.0	I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor
0:13.0	of neurobiology and ophthalmology
0:15.0	at Stanford School of Medicine.
0:17.0	Today we are going to talk about the biology,
0:19.0	psychology, and utility of play.
0:23.6	Much of our childhood development centers around play, whether or not it's organized play
0:27.9	or spontaneous play.
0:30.4	But as adults, we also need to play.
0:33.1	And today I'm going to talk about what I like to refer to as the power of play.
0:37.9	Let's talk about play.
0:39.6	What is the utility of play?
0:41.6	Why do we play when we're younger?
0:43.2	Why do we tend to play less as we get older?
0:45.6	And what in the world is play for?
0:48.4	As we're going to learn later in the podcast,
0:50.9	play is generated through the connectivity
0:53.8	of many brain areas,
0:55.4	but one of the key brain areas is an area called PAG,
	...

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