Playfulness

Playfulness is defined as a disposition to play, and it seems to be an essential part of life, especially in childhood. Playfulness carries an assumption of positive affect (i.e., enjoyment, amusement, and fun) together with a cognitive component (e.g., creativity and imagination); thus, not every play activity is playful. Additionally, playfulness consists of a state of mind in which an individual can think flexibly, take risks with ideas, and allow creative thoughts to emerge. Thus, in the early years, when infants’ cognitive ability is still limited, the affect component will be more dominant, whereas with development, children will exhibit playfulness with a more equal combination of creativity and/or imagination and enjoyment. In adulthood, often owing to social norms, playfulness is demonstrated in creative activities that ...