Huberman Lab Essentials: Using Play to Rewire & Improve Your Brain

Host: Andrew Huberman, Ph.D.
Date: January 29, 2026

Overview

In this episode of Huberman Lab Essentials, Dr. Andrew Huberman dives deep into the neuroscience, psychology, and lifelong utility of play. He explains how play is much more than a childhood activity—it functions as a powerful portal to neuroplasticity, helping both children and adults rewire their brains, improve cognitive agility, and expand emotional and social flexibility. Dr. Huberman explores the specific brain circuitry involved in play, shares actionable tools for cultivating a more playful mindset, and illustrates how play can be harnessed at any age to foster creativity, learning, and personal development.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Science & Purpose of Play

• Definition and Utility: Play is not limited to children or sports—it is fundamentally about exploring contingencies (“If I do A, what happens? If I do B, what happens?”) in a low-stakes, safe environment.
  • Quote: “Play is really where we can expand our catalog of potential outcomes and it can be enormously enriching.” (03:34)
• Brain Regions Involved: Central to play is the periaqueductal gray, a brain stem region that releases endogenous (self-made) opioids like enkephalin, promoting feelings of well-being and safety.
• Function in Development & Adulthood: Play enables the prefrontal cortex (the executive function part of the brain) to loosen rigidity and expand its operational repertoire, letting us experiment with different roles, behaviors, and strategies.
• Key Takeaway: The exploratory, contingency-testing nature of play is vital across the lifespan for personal, social, and creative evolution—far beyond simple amusement.

2. Play and Neuroplasticity

• Neurochemical State of Play: Effective play involves high levels of endogenous opioids and low levels of adrenaline (epinephrine).
  • Quote: “For something to genuinely be play and playful...we also have to have low amounts of adrenaline, so called epinephrine, in our brain and body.” (41:21)
• Play Inspires Brain Flexibility: Engaging in play, particularly where the stakes are low and roles are dynamic, “opens up” the prefrontal cortex, priming the brain for learning and creative problem-solving in all areas of life.
• Play as Lifelong Tool: Play maintains and even enhances neuroplasticity in adults, keeping the brain “young” and adaptable.
  • Quote: “Play at every stage of life is the way in which we learned the rules for that stage of life... Play is the most powerful portal to plasticity.” (44:35)

3. Postures & Expressions of Play: Social and Biological Signals

• Animal and Human Parallels:
  • In animals: Play postures like the “play bow” in dogs signal non-aggression.
  • In humans: A subtle head tilt, “soft eyes,” and slight smile cue a playful stance.
• Partial Postures in Play: Both animals and humans sometimes mimic aggressive or competitive postures, but in a subdued, “partial” way, helping regulate group dynamics.
  • Anecdote: Dr. Huberman shares the story of childhood “dirt clod wars” as an example of implicit social rules and the consequences of breaking them. (24:48)

4. Role Play and Social hierarchies

• Function of Role Play: Assuming roles outside one’s natural default helps the brain learn to predict and interact within different social structures.
  • Quote: “Play is about testing, it's about experimenting, and it's about expanding your brain's capacity.” (38:43)
• Formation of Hierarchies and Identity: Role-playing in games teaches children (and adults) about leadership, cooperation, adaptability, and identity formation.

5. How to Engage in Playful Mindset as Adults

• Overcoming Resistance: Many adults (including Dr. Huberman) feel discomfort putting themselves in unfamiliar, playful situations—yet these are the most fruitful for personal growth.
  • Tool: Deliberately participate in activities where you are not an expert or top performer. Embrace being out of your element; seek groups or games where the outcome does not matter.
  • Quote: “If the stakes are low enough then... play simply for the sake of playing, because there's something to learn there about the other people in the group and about oneself.” (14:11)
• Expanding Neuroplasticity: Try new forms of group play, physical movement, or intellectual games—especially those involving switching roles or rules mid-play.

6. Science-Backed Play Activities for Lifelong Learning

• Dynamic Movement:
  • Neuroscience shows that play involving varied movement in multiple directions (e.g., dance, soccer, jumping games), engages the vestibular system and fosters brain rewiring.
  • Repetitive, linear activities (like running) are less effective than those requiring coordination, balance, and creativity.
• Cognitive Play:
  • Chess is highlighted for its demand that players embody multiple roles/pieces, making decisions under evolving contingencies, which is powerful for neuroplasticity.
    • Quote: “Chess is a kind of a substrate for exploring multiple roles for different characters.” (56:33)
  • Rigid video game roles, by contrast, may not offer the same depth of contingency-testing and mental flexibility.

7. Personal Play Identity and Developmental Arc

• Key Determinants: Personal play identity is shaped by temperament, socio-cultural context, environment, and exposure to technology/economics.
• Reflecting on Childhood: Huberman encourages listeners to reflect on their own childhood play—competitiveness, cooperation, leadership/followership, solo/group play—and recognize how these traits persist into adulthood.
  • Quote: “It is simply the case that development is our entire lifespan, that our lifespan is one long developmental arc.” (01:00:51)
• Biological Imperative: The neural circuits for play persist throughout life and are maintained by evolution because they serve a vital function.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The prefrontal cortex...doesn't get stupid. It actually gets smarter. It develops the ability to take on different roles and explore different contingencies.” (02:58)
• “[Play] is really about exploring contingencies with truly low stakes. That's what will allow you to access these neurochemical combinations... that will open up neuroplasticity.” (01:03:00)
• On Richard Feynman: “He pointed to the fact that that playful spirit was something that he worked very hard to continue to cultivate in himself because it was the way in which he could see the world differently and to indeed make great discoveries in the field of physics.” (47:13)
• “Biology does not waste resources...And were the circuits for play not to be important in adulthood, they would have been pruned away. But I guarantee you, they are there in your brain and nervous system now.” (01:06:28)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–04:00 – Introduction to the science and importance of play
• 04:01–12:00 – Periaqueductal gray, endogenous opioids, and play’s function in brain development
• 12:01–19:00 – Adult play, embracing discomfort, personal examples
• 22:00–32:00 – Play postures in animals and humans, social signaling, anecdotes from childhood
• 36:00–44:00 – Role play, social hierarchies formed through play, brain’s executive algorithms
• 41:21–48:00 – Neurochemistry of play: opioid/adrenaline balance, tools for adults
• 52:00–01:00:00 – Physical forms of play that promote neuroplasticity, research-based recommendations
• 01:00:51–End – Personal play identity, developmental biology, summary of play’s lifelong necessity

Key Takeaways

• Play is a fundamental, lifelong mechanism for rewiring the brain—not just for children.
• The optimal state for neuroplasticity during play is high endogenous opioids (well-being, safety) and low adrenaline (relaxed engagement).
• Dynamic, multi-role, low-stakes play (physical or cognitive) accelerates creativity, learning, and adaptability in all areas of life.
• Reflect on your “play identity” and deliberately cultivate play in new forms as an adult to keep your mind flexible and enriched.

Final Thought from Dr. Huberman:
“My suggestion is that you use [the circuits for play]. Thank you once again for joining me for this discussion about the incredible biology and psychology and power of this thing that we call play. And last, but certainly not least, thank you for your interest in science.” (01:08:38)