Lizzie Wa Design

Influencing Behaviour

MATSUMURA, Naohiro. 2020. SHIKAKE : The Japanese Art of Shaping Behavior through Playful Design. Liveright.

Matsumura’s definition of shikake is something that is designed to change or influence the user’s behaviour, often to solve an issue. They don’t force behaviours on people, but induce them to want to change their behaviour themselves, often without them consciously realising it. One of the examples of this used in his book is a urinal target. The problem is dirty public bathrooms, and the solution is a small target, fly sticker etc. placed inside a urinal that gives people something to aim for. It taps into our subconscious desire to play and win, creating a small sense of fun and achievement, while keeping the bathroom cleaner. Influencing behaviour like this, and turning it into something people want to do is much more effective than simply telling people to do something. 

He defines a Shikake as something that is:

• Fair: does not disadvantage anyone
• Attractive: it invites action
• And has a duality of purpose: the maker and user have different goals. 

It’s important that it doesn’t force behaviour change, make people do things that are not good for themselves or others. My project idea should fit within this definition. The activity is fun and bringing people together, so this doesn’t disadvantage anyone. It should invite action rather than telling people to interact with it and the goal of the user would be enjoyment, while the goal of the maker is helping initiate connection. 

How to create a Shikake for yourself. The urinal world as the target is palced in the right location to make people want to aim for it, while not having to significantly change their behaviour or go out of their way.

They need to have a physical or psychological trigger or invitation. These are linked, psychological triggers re brought about by a physical trigger. When both types aec connected in a natural way the shikake is most effective, so when the physical trigger causes the user to recall some knowledge or experience.  

“By their very nature, shikake do not work in every case, on every possible person” (Matsumura 2020)

For example: A piano staircase creates the sounds of playing a piano, causing psychological triggers of wanting to play sounds on the piano. Which makes the user take the stairs to create their desired outcome.  

Physical lines in a bicycle parking spot create the psychological trigger of not wanting to cross the lines – causing people to park their bikes within the lines. 

In relation to my project, large wheels, buttons etc. are the physical trigger, that cause a psychological trigger of wanting to see what action they can produce – causing people to interact and play with the face. 

Feedback after the action is also important and Matsumura defines this as Hearing, touch, smell, taste and sight. People enjoy getting feedback of some kind of their action, ie. the sound of the piano from a piano staircase. 

“Since we often cannot choose whether to hear them or not, sounds can force us to become aware of something” (Matsumura 2020)

Touch can also be helpful as its a natural human reaction to want to touch things that look like they have an interesting texture. 

Sight – most fo our information arrives visually so this is super important. Feedback from sign is from movement, changes in form, changes in colour etc. 

“Providing visual feedback in response to a person’s actions create a situation where the user is ‘playing’ with the shikake. This boosts the attractiveness of the shikake considerably” (Matsumura 2020)

Feed-forward is also important. This refers to the information the user gets before they interact. Their prediction of what will happen. If things look similar to object we recognize it gives us an idea of what the outcome may be. 

With my project this means ensuring the way people can move the face is made up of recognisable objects. A wheel and cogs are clear that turning the wheel will turn the cogs and therefore affect the face. 

Another way is providing a reward that makes people happy.  The changed expression of the installations face can be seen as a reward to interacting with it. Making people want to do it again. (Matsumura 2020)
MATSUMURA, Naohiro. 2020. SHIKAKE : The Japanese Art of Shaping Behavior through Playful Design. Liveright.

Connection

GEDDES, Linda. 2021. “What Are We Missing out on by Not Talking to Strangers? – Podcast.” The Guardian, 9 Mar [online]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2021/mar/09/what-are-we-missing-out-on-by-not-talking-to-strangers-podcast [accessed 9 Mar 2022].

• When you talk to people you don’t know so well you are more polite and cheerful – you are more connected and don’t focus on things that divide us.
• Practise makes it easier to approach people and talk to them. It actually suits introverts as its low stakes and you can do a quick chat and then walk away.
• People enjoy the conversation more than they think they will – and they spoke for longer than they expected. Feelings that people are kind and fair and more trust increase after speaking to a stranger.
• Their is a negative voice in our heads makes us think people didn’t like us as much as they actually do like us – the liking gap – people like you more than you think.
• Tips: talk about the weather – something we have in common. be curious and observant- ask a question about someone

LONG, Emily et al. 2022. “COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on Social Relationships and Health.” J Epidemiol Community Health [online]. Available at: https://jech.bmj.com/content/76/2/128.

‘A pandemic of an airborne infection, spread easily through social contact, assails human relationships by drastically altering the ways through which humans interact.’

Close friendships are often of people similar to you- weaker ones have more diversity. During covid close friendships where the only ones to be continued with strict limitations so “some ‘weak’ ties were lost, and interactions became more limited to those closest. Given that peripheral, weaker social ties provide a diversity of resources, opinions and support, COVID-19 likely resulted in networks that were smaller and more homogenous.”

Opportunities for spontaneous social interactions had been very much affected, at work etc. and normal activities are disrupted such as a handshake, which is a powerful symbol of trust and equality, is now looked at with fear and uncertainty.

Emotional connection strongly benefits health, including reduced stress levels, improved mental health, lowered blood pressure and reduced risk of heart disease.

“Emerging evidence suggests that online ways of relating cannot simply replace physical interactions.” but they do have a place alongside them.

KING, Marissa. 2022. Social Chemistry : Decoding the Patterns of Human Connection. New York: Dutton, An Imprint Of Penguin Random House.

“Loneliness is as deadly as obesity or smoking 15 cigarettes a day.”

Meeting in person is important – we see people for who they really are not who they project themselves as on social media. “Positive social interactions – making eye contact, listening to one another, placing a hand on another’s shoulder can activate physical responses in our bodies that lower stress.”

Strategically thinking about social interactions – or networking- does not create the same positive emotions and experiences in most people. Reciprocity is important – expecting to give rather than receive helps to build relationships.

People are wired to connect best as pairs.

BRAUER, Chris. 2017. “How Humans Find Common Ground – and the Science behind It.” Huffington Post [online]. Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/chris-brauer/chris-brauer-common-ground_b_15957494.html.

Finding common ground is important to help people to connect and feel connected.

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Casual Connection

SANDSTROM, Gillian M. and Erica J. BOOTHBY. 2020. “Why Do People Avoid Talking to Strangers? A Mini Meta-Analysis of Predicted Fears and Actual Experiences Talking to a Stranger.” Self and Identity 20(1), 1–25.

Talking to strangers helps to build the social connections that make people feel at home. But we often seem reluctant to talk to strangers, passing up a readily available source of well-being. This could be because, despite the fact that it is generally enjoyable, people believe talking to strangers will be stilted, awkward, and unpleasant. They also worry that others will not like them or be interested in talking to them or they may fear they will not like their partner.

People also worry that they wont know what to say and will experience awkward silences or struggle to end the conversation when they want to.

Research findings:

• People are more worried about their partner not enjoying the conversation than they are about not enjoying the conversation themselves, and are more worried about their partner not liking them than they are about not liking their partner
• After having a pleasant conversation, when participants reported their worries about a future conversation, their worries were significantly lower than they had been before the conversation,
• When comparing people’s predictions before talking to a stranger to people’s experiences reported after talking to a stranger, we found strong evidence that people’s fears are overblown. These results are consistent with past research, which has found that people underestimate how much they will enjoy talking to a stranger, how interested a stranger will be in talking to them, and how much a stranger will like them.

DEGGES-WHITE, Suzanne. 2020. “Casual Friendships Are a Key to Happiness | Psychology Today United Kingdom.” http://www.psychologytoday.com [online]. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/lifetime-connections/202007/casual-friendships-are-key-happiness [accessed 1 Mar 2022].

While the content of the conversations with our “happenstance” or “circumstance” friends may not hold the emotional weight of intimate relationships, their presence in our everyday lives matters a great deal to our psychological well-being. They bring novelty and innovative ideas.

SANDSTROM, Gillian M. and Elizabeth W. DUNN. 2014. “Social Interactions and Well-Being: The Surprising Power of Weak Ties.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 40(7), 910–22.

People feel happier on days that they have more ‘weak-tie’ social interactions.

SANDSTROM, Gillian M. and Elizabeth W. DUNN. 2013. “Is Efficiency Overrated?: Minimal Social Interactions Lead to Belonging and Positive Affect.” Social Psychological and Personality Science 5(4), 437–42.

People who were asked to “personalise” a  transaction at a coffee shop by smiling, making eye contact, and having a genuine social interaction with their barista, felt about 17% happier and more socially connected than those who were asked to be “efficient”.

SANDSTROM, Gillian and Ashley WHILLANS. 2020. “Why You Miss Those Casual Friends so Much.” Harvard Business Review [online]. Available at: https://hbr.org/2020/04/why-you-miss-those-casual-friends-so-much.

In a normal day, people interact with somewhere between 11 and 16 weak ties on the way to work, while running errands, or on a break between meetings at the office. A lot of these casual and spontaneous conversations happen at work, in shops, at the gym etc. all activities that the pandemic has stopped or limited for many. That means to keep these going or build these back up, we need to now put in more effort. Something people are mostly uncomfortable with the idea of doing.

“This is because we aren’t sure if the other person will be interested, and we worry that these conversations will be uncomfortable. Luckily, these fears are unfounded. When people are assigned to talk to weak ties and strangers, these conversations are more enjoyable and go more smoothly than people predict.”

A good tip is to keep a conversation to around 10 minds maximum and start with sharing something personal. “Sharing aspects of yourself helps to build positive rapport and encourages the other person to reciprocate”

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Play

One of the definitions of play, from the Oxford English Dictionary, is to wield lightly and freely; to keep in motion.

WALSH, Andrew. 2019. “Giving Permission for Adults to Play.” The Journal of Play in Adulthood 1(1).

Andrew Walsh believes that adults often find it hard to play because  “Play is often seen as inappropriate in adult settings, with social expectations causing adults to frame situations in such a way that we often lack permission to play”. He thinks play is seen as socially unacceptable unless within very specific boundaries, such as an amateur dramatics play or a sports game.

DETERDING, Sebastian. 2017. “Alibis for Adult Play.” Games and Culture 13(3), 260–79.

Sebastien Deterding surmises that, “we need alibis, or excuses, to allow us to play as adults” Many adults find the idea of play embarrassing and that acts as a barrier. “As an internal process, embarrassment is the sudden self-conscious awareness of such identity-disconfirming events, together with negative affect and arousal over seeing or imagining others who disapprove of us as a result.”

To get around this fear of embarrassment play needs to be shown as the correct way to approach the situation and therefore socially acceptable to engage in. Therefore setting up a frame for play is important for adults. Free play makes people particularly embarrassed as there are not pre-defined rules and actions to fall back on. 

“The social meanings of play—unruly, pleasure-driven, free, and unproductive—disconfirm the valued social identity of being a self-regulated, norm-abiding, and productive adult. Hence, play risks embarrassing adults.”

Deterding concludes that to help adults play, “It requires smooth performance of role expectations, made easier by clear scripts, rules, and fallback routines. It requires appropriately deep involvement in play and lowered self-consciousness of one’s public appearance, aided by engrossing activities and masks, pseudonymous avatars, or hiding in a crowd, disrupting the response-presence of others.”

HAM, Derek A. 2016. “How Designers Play: The Ludic Modalities of the Creative Process.” Design Issues 32(4), 16–28.

Observing play is a way to understand how people learn.

Huizinga defines play to say “Play is irrational” but this doesn’t mean it isn’t serious.

He belives the four main characteristics are that:

1. Play is a voluntary act- its free and , in fact, is freedom.
2. Play is not an “ordinary” or ‘real’ activity
3. Play is secluded and has limits (time and place) it begins then its over. it can also be repeated.
4. play creates order; it is order.

This is summed up as the “magic circle” a space where people can think and behave differently to how they would normally. Its an activity with no material interest and no profit.

CAILLOIS, Roger. 1962. Man, Play, and Games, Etc. London: Thames & Hudson.

“play is free, separate, uncertain, unproductive , governed by rules and make beleive.”

He defines four types of play.

• Agôn – competitive play where you either win or lose.
• Alea- a game of chance. agon is about skill and this is the opposite – its randomness and fate
• Mimicry – defines by imitation and pretend- dominant category for young chidlren. this kind of play has no boundries.
• Illinx- when player is in some type of vertigo or disorientation. phsyical exertion or VR.

HEALTHLINE. 2021. “Play Therapy: What Is It, How It Works, and Techniques.” Healthline [online]. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/play-therapy#summary.

Play therapy allows children and adults to express difficult thoughts and feelings. It can be used to help them to process difficult events. Playing helps them to unwind and destress

MOYER, Melinda Wenner. 2013. “The Serious Need for Play.” Scientific American 23(1s), 78–85.

Play serves as a way for children to practice skills they will need in the future. Free play “is critical for becoming socially adept, coping with stress and building cognitive skills such as problem solving”

A lack of opportunities for unstructured, imaginative play can keep children from growing into happy, well-adjusted adults. “Free play,” as scientists call it, is critical for becoming socially adept, coping with stress and building cognitive skills such as problem solving.

“Play also promotes the continued mental and physical wellbeing of adults” 

It seems that free play is very important for children to develop into well adjusted adults. Structured play has it place and this article mentions it may be more beneficial for creating connections, but free play is creative and helps the brain to develop.  “creative aspect is key because it challenges the developing brain more than following predetermined rules does.”

“ free play is most similar to play seen in the animal kingdom, suggesting that it has important evolutionary roots” Gordon M. Burghardt spent 18 years observing animals for his book  The Genesis of Animal Play and defined play as repetitive, voluntary and initiated in a relaxed setting. It should also not have a clear goal. 

The article discusses the social implications of not playing, but it is unclear as to whether it is the lack of play or the lack of social interaction that weakens social connections. Without play, adults may end up getting burned out from the “hustle-bustle busyness that we all get involved in,” says Marc Bekoff, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Stuart Brown, psychiatrist and founder of the National Institute for Play in Carmel Valley, Calif., suggests three ways to get adults to play.

• Body play: Participate in some form of active movement that has no time pressures or expected outcome (if you are exercising just to burn fat, that is not play!). 
• Object play: Use your hands to create something you enjoy (it can be anything; again, there doesn’t have to be a specific goal). 
• Social play: Join other people in seemingly purposeless social activities, “from small talk to verbal jousting,” Brown suggests. 

“Ultimately, what matters is not how you play but that you play”

SHACKELL, Aileen, Nicola BUTLER, David BALL and Phil DOYLE. 2008. Design for Play: A Guide to Creating Successful Play Spaces. Available at: https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/5028/1/design-for-play.pdf.

“Play is about more than just ‘letting off steam’; it can be quiet and contemplative, as well as active and boisterous.”

“Play is what children and young people do in their own time, for their own reasons.”

When it comes to designing successful playscapes for children, these are some tips:

The 10 principles for designing successful play spaces.

 Successful play spaces… 

• are ‘bespoke’ 
• are well located 
• make use of natural elements 
• provide a wide range of play experiences 
• are accessible to both disabled and non-disabled children
• meet community needs 
• allow children of different ages to play together 
• build in opportunities to experience risk and challenge 
• are sustainable and appropriately maintained 
• allow for change and evolution. (Shackell et al. 2008)

Despite these being aimed at children’s playscapes, I think a lot of these things are relevant to play spaces for people of all ages. 

“The primary aim of designing a play space must be to offer children a rich play environment where they can have a wide variety of play experiences” (Shackell et al. 2008)

“Designing for play is an ongoing process. Successful play spaces are not simply ordered from a catalogue, put in the ground and left. They require careful thought and planning, continuing care and maintenance, and should be reviewed and updated periodically to make sure they provide the best possible play opportunities” (Shackell et al. 2008)

Playspaces need to be constantly evaluated and improved to get the most out of them. Watching how people interact with the space, what they do and what they don’t do, is integral to making the space better. 

VAN LEEUWEN, Lieselotte and Diane WESTWOOD. 2008. ‘Adult Play, Psychology and Design’. Digital Creativity 19(3), [online], 153–61. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/3807702/Adult_play_psychology_and_design [accessed 25 Apr 2022].

There is relatively little research done into adult play. “According to the PsychINFO database, in the last10 years more than 3000 psychological research articles written in English focused on child play, yet only 40 addressed play in adults or the elderly and this was mainly in therapeutic contexts.” 

Part of this may be because play as a concept is hard to define and open to alot of interpretation. But its benefits are well documented. 

“Winnicott (1971) describes play as taking place in a transitional space between the inner and outer reality which enables creative action. In this space attributes of objective reality are combined with attributes of imagination leading to the creation of a transitional reality in which one can experiment with different ways of relating to the external world.”

Van Leeuwan and Westwood discuss the importance of risk within play. They believe that “acceptable risk is something we seek in play as it is often the source of thrill and excitement.” This seems to be something common to both children and adults in play. 

While the benefits of play for children and sometimes also adults has been explored, eg for  acquiring motor, cognitive,emotional and social skills. This is not the reason that people play, children have no idea about the benefits but they want to do it anyway. “Children and adults play because it is enjoyable.” 

Van Leeuwan and Westwood mention the iMuse project (Leeuwen & Ellis, 2007) which used an “interactive inter-sensory environment for expression and exploration in frail elderly people. By using hand/arm movements or their voice, complex sound and graphic displays can be manipulated giving the experience of painting with sound or composing with colour.”

They believe that it is “the open-ended character of the interaction with graphics and sound aims to invite ludic engagement.” and also that  “One crucial condition for playfulness in such an environment is the experience of intuitive control supporting relaxation and spontaneity.”

Therefore in that situation the play being open-ended helped people to feel playful and relaxed. The outcome was simple and satisfactory which made them more likely to engage and stay engaged for a while. 

Van Leeuwan and Westwood also define play in two ways: gameplay, defined as performance-oriented stimulation and toyplay defined as unorganised stimulation – freeform, non-goal-oriented play activities.

BROWN, Stuart L and Christopher C VAUGHAN. 2010. Play : How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. Carlton North, Vic.: Scribe.

Dr Brown spent his career conducting ‘play histories’ from all kinds of people to explore the idea and importance of play. He found that making play a part of our daily lives was integral to feeling happy and fulfilled as well as being integral to social relationships. Just a little bit of play spreads through our lives and makes us happier.

“Play is what lifts people out of the mundane”

He believes that play is ‘intensely pleasurable’ its gives us energy and eases our burdens and worries. “It renews or natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities” 

Play is also a complex biological process that has evolved within many species to help them survive. It makes animals smarter, helps them empathise with each other and to grow complex social groups. Animals play when they are young to learn new skills and practice, but have also been observed playin for no apparent reason apart from fun. “Adult ravens have been observed sliding down a snowy slope of their back, flying back to the top and sliding down again” 

He, like many others, shys away from defining play as it is such a varied, personal and complex thing. But what he does say to give it a little definition is that the main principles are:

• Apparently purposeless,
• Voluntary,
• Inherent attraction,
• Freedom from time,
• Diminished consciousness of self,
• Improvisational potential,
• Continuation desire.

He stresses that play is “done for its own sake” , it makes you feel good and is similar to the definition of a state of “flow”.

He believes that “play often promotes social interaction”.

Play signals

Brown discusses the idea of “play signals’ explaining them in terms of how animals greet each other when it is clear they are asking to play. Smiling is a very integral part of this. “When someone smiles at another person, they are reaching out, engaging in a play invitation.” 

Greeting someone with ‘soft eyes’ (looking but not staring) is a play signal according to Brown. These gestures indicate that we are not a threat. 

However, he also talks about how we often go even further to show we are not a threat and make no eye contact atall. This is something common in society, on the train, in the shops etc. He believes that ‘these avoidant behaviours usually based on a fear of what an interaction might bring”. Brown believes that in a world without play, all interactions would be like these ones. He talks of interaction and connection in the same way as play. A ‘play signal’ is the same as a signal you are willing to connect. Implying that play and connection are one and the same. 

“Play signals invite a safe, emotional connection, if even for an instant. Even in casual interactions, the sincere compliment, the remark about the hot/rainy/freezing/damp weather, a joke or sympathetic observation opens people up emotionally. It transforms a grim, fearful, and lonely world into a lively one” 

He explains how taking on a playful attitude in everyday situations can transform the situation, your mood and the mood of others around you. This is the same as Gillian Sandstroms research about how casual encounters can boost your mood and the mood of others. 

He discusses what activities can be classes as play and believes that it can be pretty much anything if approached in a playful way. Ie. “pursuing the activity for the joy it brings” not the “pursuit of goals”. He explains that “play is a state of mind” 

Community and connection

Brown believes that play in the form of art, music, dance etc is central to community and interaction, being deep rooted in traditions such as festivals. 

He believes that play “puts is in sync with those around us” – therefore it is integral to building good relationships and communities. “Play shows us common humanity” 

He found from his play histories, that people who play together stayed together. From this he believes that “play can become the cornerstone of all personal relationships, from everyday interactions to long-term love” 

Play personalities

He believes that we have a preference for what kind of play we enjoy as we get older. He separates this into 8 different play personalities:

• The Joker – practical jokes, comedy, being silly
• The Kinesthete – moving, dancing, sport
• The Explorer – going new places, new experiences 
• The Competitor – competitive games
• The Director – planning, organising play, 
• The Collector – finding new objects, collecting cars 
• The Artist/Creator – painting, woodwork, knitting etc. 
• The Storyteller – imagination, novels, playwriting, watching films 

Play and the brain

“The brain can keep developing long after we leave adolescence and play promotes that growth” 

“Many studies have demonstrated that people who continue to play games [..] are not only less prone to dementia and other neurological problems, but also are less likely to get heart disease” 

Brown believes there are opportunities for play everywhere, but the trick is opening yourself up to see them and not being too serious about anything. To find play that works for you, he recommends thinking about what feels fun to you. He recommends moving to jump-start play “motion is the most basic form of play”. He also advises us to practise play and take time out regularly for it. 

“But in the end the most significant aspect of play is that it allows us to express our joy and connect most deeply with the best in ourselves, and in others” 

“When enough people raise play to the status it deserves in our lives, we will find the world a better place.”

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Play and Connection

MIND THE INTERIOR. 2019. “WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER STOP PLAYING – Playscapes for Adults.” Mind the interior [online]. Available at: https://mindtheinterior.com/playscapes-why-you-should-never-stop-playing/ [accessed 12 Feb 2022].

Play improves relationships and your connection to others. Sharing laughter and fun can foster empathy, compassion, trust, and intimacy with others. Developing a playful nature can help you loosen up in stressful situations, break the ice with strangers, make new friends, and form new business relationships.

Play helps develop and improve social skills. Social skills are learned as part of the give and take of play. During childhood play, kids learn about verbal communication, body language, boundaries, cooperation, and teamwork. As adults, you continue to refine these skills through play and playful communication.

Play teaches cooperation with others. Play is a powerful catalyst for positive socialization. Through play, children learn how to “play nicely” with others—to work together, follow mutually agreed upon rules, and socialize in groups. As adults, you can continue to use play to break down barriers and improve your relationships with others.

Play can heal emotional wounds. If an emotionally-insecure individual plays with a secure partner, for example, it can help replace negative beliefs and behaviors with positive assumptions and actions.

ROBINSON, Lawrence, Melinda SMITH, Jeanne SEGAL and Jennifer SHUBIN. 2021. ‘The Benefits of Play for Adults – HelpGuide.org’. https://www.helpguide.org [online]. Available at: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/benefits-of-play-for-adults.htm#:~:text=Playing%20together%20brings%20joy%2C%20vitality [accessed 1 May 2022].

Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we stopped playing. When we carve out some leisure time, we’re more likely to zone out in front of the TV or computer than engage in fun, rejuvenating play like we did as children. But play is not just essential for kids; it can be an important source of relaxation and stimulation for adults as well.

Play is one of the most effective tools for keeping relationships fresh and exciting. Playing together brings joy, vitality, and resilience to relationships. Play can also heal resentments, disagreements, and hurts. Through regular play, we learn to trust one another and feel safe.

Trust enables us to work together, open ourselves to intimacy, and try new things. By making a conscious effort to incorporate more humor and play into your daily interactions, you can improve the quality of your love relationships—as well as your connections with co-workers, family members, and friends.

It’s true what they say: laughter really is the best medicine. Laughter makes you feel good. And the positive feeling that comes from laughter and having fun remains with you even after the giggles subside. Play and laughter help you retain a positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations, disappointments, and loss.

 If you find yourself limiting your playfulness, it’s possible that you’re self-conscious and concerned about how you’ll look and sound to others when attempting to be lighthearted. Fearing rejection, embarrassment or ridicule when trying to be playful is understandable. Adults often worry that being playful will get them labeled as childish.  The more you play, joke, and laugh—the easier it becomes.