Read on Medium: Pleasure vs. Survival: Animals and The First Play
“It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.”
~ Leo F. Buscaglia
Humans were not the first species to roam this planet. They were not the first to forage for food, to hunt, or to build social connections between one another. They were not the first to care, the first to fear, or the first to love. But were they the first to entertain? Could they have been the first and only to engage in the likes of play?
Having only been around for the last 300,000 years, the time of modern humans is incomparable to that of mammals; those who have wandered and explored this planet for 200 million years. There is no way humans could have been the first to practice something so valuable, so vital, and so crucial to survival as play.
Across this ancient tapestry of life on Earth, animals have been observed playing. If play is truly a vital function of existence, then surely it predates us. So why do animals play? Is it to develop cognitive functions and social interaction skills? Is it to learn motor skills and prepare for the unexpected in life? Or is it to build social bonds? Burn off excess energy? Or, simply, to have fun?
Currently, we are under the impression that animal behaviour, regardless of its species, is the result of survival instincts at work. Meaning all behaviour is linked to finding sustenance, social interactions, avoiding threats, and reproducing. Thus, do animals just play in order to acquire and learn the tools for survival? Can the act of playing not be isolated in itself for enjoyment alone? According to anthropocentric beliefs and perspectives — yes, it could, as it does for us.
So why does a dolphin chase its bubbles? Do kittens enjoy a little row? Have bears developed a sense of emotional intelligence and awareness of spatial beauty? And are these behaviours linked only to survival, or can they be mere moments of pleasure?
Learning by Doing
Play provides a form of mental and physical stimulation. It can be an activity that enables individuals to hone in on motor skills, strengthen social bonds, and acquire information about risky situations within a relatively safe environment. For dolphins, this can be seen in their jumping, bubble blowing, chasing, and a seemingly “fun” game of pass and catch with the poisonous pufferfish. Dolphins have also been observed to interact with objects that they find (seaweed, plastic), other non-edible species (jellyfish, whales), and engage in individual as well as group play.
Much like how children play outside; engaging with new textures, items, and rules. They are learning and absorbing new information and new ways of being, just the same as the dolphin pup. In humans, this can bring joy and entertainment, and can often be sought out in order to satisfy this craving for fun. But can this be said for dolphins, too?
“A determination of the precise reasons why animals play has also proven evasive, perhaps because play serves a myriad of functions” [1]
The Lesson of Games
What about play fighting? Seen commonly in kittens and cubs, this is a perfect example of locomotor play to strengthen and condition a young animal’s growing body. Play fighting allows young prey animals to develop escape tactics, and young predators to practice stalking and hunting in a protected environment. [2]
The collective aspect of this type of play also develops social skills, understanding, and adaptability. For kittens, it has been shown that between 2–9 weeks of age, socialisation is vital. Growing up without this essential period can result in heightened nervousness and aggression in their adult lives. [3]
In wolves, these learnings are also true, with the addition of learning and reinforcing the social hierarchy within the pack. Through play fighting, cubs learn who’s the boss, and studies have shown that consistent play fighting between older wolves correlates with decreased aggressive interactions within the pack outside of play time. [4]
In the human world, play fighting can be mirrored in team sports and playing games. Activities with rules of engagement. These exercises the body, and also the mind for problem solving, and figuring out personalities and tendencies of other players. This learned information and skills could then be applied to interactions outside of the game space.
We might not hunt like cats, lions, or wolves, but the cognitive and physical benefits that come from engaging with play continue to be reflected in the ones which came before us.
Stumbling into Growth
And what about the silliness of it all? What about the pure curiosity, giddy, and mindless slices of the playing pie? What about the part where we just let go and forget about what and who we are?
Elephants are a cute example of this. Calfs and adults alike can be seen frolicking about in the wild, swinging their trunks in any which way they can, rolling around in the mud, and sliding down wet dirt hills. Aside from the benefits of play that have already been described above, this type of entertainment displays a powerful air of being “silly”.
This, in fact, is an important practice in the art of play, for both people and animals. It is;
“one that gets us outside our comfort zone and forces us to test new strategies. Silliness in our movements, behavior and even language helps us think much more broadly and creatively”
— Caitlin O’Connell [5]
The explorative side of play is one that is exemplified in elephants, and is mirrored in human behaviour. But the question remains: Is even some of it for fun?
An interesting study on elephants in captivity observed their time spent ‘playing’ on a day-to-day basis. It was noticed that captive elephants spent a substantially larger amount of time playing than they normally do in the wild. [6] Reasons remain theories, however, the study suggested this behaviour may be the result of having more time and energy for ‘leisure’ activities, as the captive elephants don’t have to travel, find food, or be on alert for threats. The behaviour also posed new questions: Does play time represent a distraction from an unchallenging environment? Does it act as a replacement for stimulation? And do they derive any kind of enjoyment from it, as humans do, when we undertake an activity out of boredom?
Reversing the Narrative
Is boredom a state specific to humans, or do animals experience this sensation as well? Under-stimulation, weariness, and lack of concern. When bears are observed sitting still, gazing out over vast scenes of natural beauty, are they bored? Are they appreciating the beauty of nature? Or are they observing and becoming aware of their surroundings and thus, behaving in a way for the sole purpose of survival, once again?
Some scientists believe this behaviour in bears can be a way for them to relax and settle their nervous systems, similar to how humans enjoy beauty to unwind, whether they are conscious of it or not. [7] Aesthetic appreciation is an anthropocentric behaviour; however, settling the mind and the body is for all. Thus, when humans unwind in nature, is it because we take pleasure from our surroundings, or because our bodies know that this is where we come from and where we belong? What happens when we apply an animal’s perspective to humans? Somehow, it is more applicable than the other way around.
It remains uncertain as to why exactly animals play — whether they are purely trying to survive, whether they seek self-satisfaction, or whether it is something else entirely that our minds have not yet thought of, or does not exist within our reality as humans. What is clear, though, is that humans and animals alike share the concept of play, and maybe we can learn a thing or two by tapping into the animal world, and their ways of understanding, being, and playing?
- Kayli Wouters
Read on Medium: Pleasure vs. Survival: Animals and The First Play