Reclaiming the Joy of Learning
How Play Can Make You a More Innovative Researcher, Better Teacher, and Happier Scholar
Most of us didn’t grow up thinking about the value of play—we just played.
It came naturally, whether we were alone or with friends. A cardboard box? That was a castle. A paper towel roll and some shoelaces? Obviously nunchucks. Action figures? Soldiers, ninjas—whatever the moment called for.
But as we grew older, we were told to set imagination aside and focus on “more important things”—a shift that feels especially stark in academia, where productivity metrics and publication counts often dictate career trajectories.
Ironically, one of the places that most actively discourages play is school.
Despite its origins—the word “school” derives from the Greek schole, meaning leisure—academic institutions often prioritize competition and measurable output over exploration. In his well-known TED Talk, How Schools Kill Creativity, Sir Ken Robinson suggests that our educational system actively suppresses creativity.
Instead of encouraging curiosity and risk-taking, we are taught to “paint inside the lines,” adhering to disciplinary boundaries and methodological orthodoxies.
This structured approach makes sense in an era defined by the Industrial Revolution, when success depended on clear guidelines and rigid frameworks. Likewise, in the traditional tenure process, where career progression depends on a set number of publications in specific journals, many scholars approached research like a military operation—strategically deploying resources and adhering strictly to expectations.
But what happens when academia begins to evolve, as we are seeing more and more?
How do we encourage the kind of innovative thinking that disciplines desperately need to tackle global challenges like environmental injustice, health disparities, and social inequality?
Most university departments do little to foster the kind of playful culture that encourages exploration and bold thinking. Yet neuroscience increasingly shows that play—engaging in activities purely for the joy of them—enhances cognitive function, problem-solving, and mental well-being.
For tenure-track faculty balancing heavy teaching loads, research demands, and service commitments, play might seem like an unaffordable luxury. But in reality, it may be the key to sustaining both productivity and well-being in the pressure cooker of pre-tenure life.
How Does Play Fuel Creative Thinking?
In Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Greg McKeown writes:
“Play expands our minds in ways that allow us to explore: to germinate new ideas or see old ideas in a new light.”
This insight is particularly relevant for scholars striving to make original contributions to their fields. McKeown outlines three key reasons why play is essential for success in academic life:
1. Play Broadens Your Scholarly Options
Engaging in play introduces academics to new perspectives and interdisciplinary connections they might otherwise overlook.
By stepping into different environments and exploring activities outside their specialized fields, scholars expose their brains to novel stimuli that can expand their theoretical perspectives. Neuroscientists have found that play strengthens neural connections in the prefrontal cortex—the region responsible for higher-order thinking and innovation.
Through play, faculty develop what neuroscientists call “cognitive flexibility”—the ability to adapt thinking strategies to new and unexpected conditions. This flexibility can lead to groundbreaking research questions or creative teaching methods that might never emerge in a rigid, structured environment.
Before we continue, I want to remind you:
If academia feels like an endless game where your work keeps getting lost in the shuffle, you’re not alone.
At The Tenure Track, we believe success isn’t just about playing by the rules—it’s about finding new ways to engage, experiment, and share your unique perspective. The most impactful scholars don’t just publish; they step outside the usual arenas, take creative risks, and bring their ideas into broader conversations.
The goal isn’t just to produce more—it’s to play smarter, ensure your voice is heard, and make your work resonate.
Ready to level up? Subscribe to The Tenure Track for insights, strategies, and inspiration on how to share your story, build your community, and make a lasting impact.
2. Play Relieves Academic Stress
The chronic stress of the tenure track doesn’t just inhibit productivity—it actively impairs creativity.
Neuroscientific research has shown that elevated cortisol levels—the body’s primary stress hormone—disrupt learning and memory formation by impairing hippocampal function. Under prolonged stress, the brain’s amygdala (which processes emotions) becomes hyperactive, while the prefrontal cortex (which governs analysis and creativity) becomes less active. This explains why many faculty under extreme publication pressure experience writer’s block or feel trapped in research ruts.
Play, however, triggers the release of dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin—neurochemicals that reduce stress while enhancing cognitive function. Studies have found that even brief play sessions increase the formation of new brain cells in adults.
Beyond its neurological benefits, play also strengthens collegial relationships. Psychiatrist Stuart Brown, MD, argues that playing together fosters collaboration and trust. For tenure-track faculty, these relationships can lead to co-authored publications, grant opportunities, and a much-needed support system.
3. Play Enhances Academic Brain Power
Play directly enhances the cognitive skills that scholars depend on most.
Psychiatrist Dr. Edward Hallowell highlights key executive functions—planning, prioritizing, scheduling, anticipating, delegating, deciding, and analyzing—as essential for balancing research, teaching, and service. Play strengthens these skills by engaging the brain in dynamic, low-stakes problem-solving.
Neuroimaging studies show that during play, the brain’s default mode network (DMN) becomes more active. This network is linked to autobiographical memory, creative insight, and problem-solving—precisely the mental processes that drive academic breakthroughs. It’s no coincidence that major scientific discoveries often happen during moments of relaxation.
For example, Isaac Newton’s insights on gravity emerged while sitting under an apple tree. Many scholars report their most significant ideas arising not at their desks, but while walking, showering, or engaging in hobbies.
Dr. Stuart Brown, in his TED Talk Play Is More Than Just Fun, argues that play isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. Without it, he warns, neural development suffers.
For academics, the takeaway is clear:
The opposite of play isn’t productive work—it’s burnout. And burnout is the last thing tenure-track faculty can afford.
Where Can Academics Find Opportunities to Play?
Dr. Stuart Brown compares play to oxygen:
“It’s all around us, yet goes mostly unnoticed or unappreciated until it is missing.”
For faculty juggling multiple commitments, play isn’t a luxury—it’s a survival tool.
Play can take many forms: joining a faculty music ensemble, participating in campus athletics, writing creatively outside your discipline, attending performances, playing board games, or simply letting your mind wander during faculty meetings (discreetly, of course).
Even brief moments of play can trigger the neurochemical responses that enhance creativity and problem-solving.
The most successful academics maintain clear boundaries between work and play, allowing each to enrich the other rather than compete for mental space.
So give yourself permission to play—whether that means taking a walk without checking email, having a lunch where academic talk is off-limits, reading fiction before bed, or engaging in a physical activity you genuinely enjoy.
In academia’s hyper-competitive environment, making time for play might feel counterintuitive. But the research is clear. Play isn’t a distraction from serious scholarship.
It may be the very thing that makes transformative scholarship possible.
Becoming Full,
P.S. As always, thank you for reading this week’s issue of The Tenure Track. If you found this article helpful, I encourage you to share it with a colleague or friend who might benefit from these insights. Together, let’s continue to build a supportive and creative academic community.
Yes!!!! I have a similar piece stewing in my brain as well. As a child therapist, who also had not been taught to play growing up, I've seen the value of play in myself as a clinician and human, as well as for my adult clients.