there some ways acting like a child, can make life better as an adult.

Hey guys Julia here for DNews

Well I now have to cut the crusts off my own pb&js but life is going pretty okay as adult.

I do miss some things, like recess and naps, but lately research is showing that bringing

back certain kid’s games can do grown ups some good.

Because researchers can never take things too seriously, two researchers defined adult

playfulness as “a predisposition to define and engage in activities in a non-serious

or fanciful manner to increase enjoyment.” Very… playful, guys.

And grown ups do this all the time. We go out for karaoke, we ski, we improv, whatever.

So why do we keep up the games? Well some research suggests it could help us find a

mate. One study published in the American Journal of Play found that playfulness was

important in partner selection. Participants filled out a survey of desired traits in a

partner, and traits like 'sense of humor,' 'fun loving' and 'playful' topped both men

and women’s lists. The researchers suggested this means these traits arose from sexual

selection. And that maybe playfulness in men suggested to women that they were less aggressive

and playfulness in women suggested to men that they were healthy, youthful and maybe

fertile.

So what kind of activities do adults “play”? Well skiing was researched in a study published

in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life. The researchers found that skiing

had high rates of engagement and involvement. Engagement in this case meaning, you get so

into doing a thing, you lose sense of everything else around you. You get lost in it. Involvement

in this case is how much that activity gives you a sense

of meaning and a sense of being a part of something greater than yourself.

The researchers suggest that like participating in fun activities like skiing with high engagement

and involvement helps people grow emotionally and socially. One of the researchers said

that "Adult playfulness can influence people's happiness...and contribute to overall well-being,”

Which can buffer us from life’s stresses.

But if you want to find some peace and don’t have any ski slopes near you, maybe you should

pick up a coloring book. One of the most popular adult play activities lately is coloring.

Not your typical, princess style book either. Oh no, these coloring books are complex and

intricate. These patterns repeat and weave across the page. These kind of books are helping

tons of people de-stress and relax. Research like one study published in the journal Palliative

& Supportive Care shows that making art can often help those who deal with stress and

anxiety and improves coping resources. Yet facing a blank page can be daunting. Where

do you even start? But coloring books give us a way into our creativity without seeming

overwhelming. The lines guide us and all we have to choose is what color the next flower

will be.

It’s definitely an engaging task that helps us leave our stress behind. Psychologists

say that coloring has a calming effect. Psychologist Gloria Martinez Ayala told the Huffington

Post that “The relaxation that it provides lowers the activity of the amygdala, a basic

part of our brain involved in controlling emotion that is affected by stress.

So play does all sorts of things for us as adults! It helps us focus, helps us destress,

and of course it could even help us land the one. So go outside and play!

After a ten-year wait, the all-new Tacoma is finally here. It’s been fully redesigned

to play whenever and wherever you want.The new Toyota Tacoma encourages you to break the rules, and PLAY NOW.