Using Play to Rewire & Improve Your Brain | Huberman Lab Essentials
Andrew Huberman explains how play works as a neurological tool for brain rewiring, and how adults can use it to boost cognitive flexibility and performance.
The gist
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Play requires low adrenaline and high endogenous opioids, so activities need to feel low-stakes rather than competitive to trigger neuroplasticity.
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Huberman says activities involving multiple roles or identities, like chess, expand the brain's capacity more than linear games or fixed-avatar video games.
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Novel multi-directional movement like dance or soccer activates the vestibular system and cerebellum, creating stronger conditions for brain change than linear exercise.
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Your play style between ages 10 and 14 shapes how you handle challenges, relationships, and social hierarchies as an adult.
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