A Head Above: A Simple Guide to Peak Mental Performance by Denton Mansal

Author:Denton, Mansal [Denton, Mansal]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2017-08-15T16:00:00+00:00

From the evidence we have, the lives of Comanche boys revolved around playing with their horses. These mounted boys became men who could unleash twenty deadly arrows at a range of thirty yards before Spanish soldiers could fire and load one shot. Their military supremacy came from their horsemanship learned through play at an early age.

Much like the warrior Comanche, modern Silicon Valley is filled with coders and programmers who are self-taught tinkerers. Many of the most successful entrepreneurs who have started world-changing businesses learned to program by playing with code and building expertise as a result.

Play is the way that humans learn. Animal models suggest an “enriched environment” (e.g., toys, hamster wheel, and space) helps increase learning and memory formation by increasing neurogenesis in certain regions of the brain, such as the hippocampus.71 Popular toys like Legos, Lincoln Logs, and others offer human children the same advantages.

Neurogenesis, the process of creating new brain cells, was once thought to be impossible after a certain age. Many of the animal models helped scientists realize it is a process that continues throughout life and particularly with the opportunity to play.7273

Neurogenesis in the amygdala, a region of the brain housing our older and more fearful instincts, also helps to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.74 Play can even negate the consequences of social isolation, a systemic problem of modern humans contributing to increased anxiety and depression rates.75

The Comanche knew little of these inner workings of the brain, and the tribe’s success was, of course, more involved than simply children playing. Still, it’s hard to dispute the connection between their rise to power and the role play provides for the learning process of children and adults.

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