The Top Ten Benefits of Play

Whether or not we're still in school or working at a 'regular job,' we all look forward to Summer vacation because it signifies a time to play. Personally, I'd rather see us integrate more play into our daily lives ... and here's a great article to back me up with the reasons why!

"Play is extremely important for humans from birth to death. Play is not meant to be just for children. It is a form of release and connection that can tap into creativity and can allow you the chance to connect with your inner child and the inner child of others.

Play is a state of mind, but it is also a state of body, emotion, and spirit. Yes...it is something you do (playing games, swinging, playing "tag", playing with dolls), but it is also something you watch others do, and gain pleasure from simply watching.

It is often described as a time when we feel most alive, yet it is something we take for granted and may forget to do. It can be entirely positive, or can be dramatic (such as acting out a thrilling or suspenseful activity). Play can be used in many ways to not only stimulate creativity but as a way to transform negative emotions. We are hardwired as adults to engage in play, and it is crucial to our vitality to spend time with play each day.

This article will address the top ten benefits of play and provide suggestions on how you can get in touch with your own creative possibilities and abilities.

Read the full article by Marianne St. Clair, The Top Ten Benefits of Play found at Creativity_Portal.com.

Enjoy!

Music Unleashes Rainbows of Color

Heard a great story on NPR (National Public Radio) this morning. You can listen to the audio clip ...

When pianist Laura Rosser performs, she hears more than sounds. She hears colors -- each note has its own associated hue. Rosser has a rare neurological condition called synesthesia. Stimulation of one sense produces the sensation of another.

Synesthesia is rare. Perhaps one person in several thousand has it. Most of these people don't have the form that allows them to perceive sounds as colors.

Yet a number of famous composers appear to have been synesthetes. They include Franz Liszt, Alexander Scriabin, and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Some research suggests musical synesthesia is more likely to come with perfect pitch.

Each synesthete has a unique system of associations. That means the periwinkle that Rosser associates with D-flat might be purple for another synesthete. Other synesthetes associate colors with letters and numbers. Rosser has this type of synesthesia as well.

Randolph Blake, a researcher at Vanderbilt University, says the brains of synesthetes appear to be wired in a way that allows signals from one sense to trigger brain circuits usually associated with another sense. But it's unclear how this alternate wiring takes place."

NPR : For Pianist, Music Unleashes Rainbows of Color