The Art Of Being A Playful Person: 3 Simple Habits Of Naturally Playful People
The kind of people who know how to turn ordinary moments into something fun.
Nathaniel Yeo | Unsplash Playfulness isn't about being childish. It's about maintaining a quality of openness that makes everything more interesting. It's the difference between trudging through your day and dancing through it, between seeing problems as burdens and seeing them as puzzles to solve.
These habits aren't complicated. They're tiny shifts in perspective, where you focus on simple decisions to choose curiosity over judgment. They're about remembering that life doesn't always have to be taken so seriously and that the ability to play is one of the most sophisticated survival skills we possess.
Here are 3 simple habits of naturally playful people:
1. They understand the power of performance
One of the most delightful ways playful people bring levity to everyday situations is by borrowing the dramatic flair of famous characters and applying it to otherwise mundane moments. The most naturally playful people understand that we're all performers in the story of our own lives.
For example, if someone you know well seems overly concerned with appearances and asks your opinion, you could play Clark Gable/Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind: “Frankly, my dear, I wouldn’t care what they think because I can’t control that anyway.” Consider softening such edgy comments with a smile.
2. They mirror the carefree way children approach life
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Less-inhibited children can provide ideas. Collected by first-grade teacher, Bret Turner, here’s one in Valerie Strauss’ Washington Post article: Student: Did you watch the soccer game? Teacher: Me, oh yeah. Student: We beat Neverland. Teacher: Oh, the Netherlands? Student: Uh, no, it’s called Neverland. It’s from Peter Pan. We beat them in soccer. Another: I thought "gravity" is what you put on your mashed potatoes.
Yet another example is a friend’s young son who recorded his own message on the family phone. He briefly invited the caller to push the message through the phone slot on a piece of paper.
While not a thigh-slapping moment, it was fresh and perhaps encouraged the listener to get out of the automatic pilot of “Are you busy?” or “How are you?” You could practice by changing your messages periodically to avoid repetitive cuteness.
3. They know how to poke fun at themselves
Often called narrowcasting, Monica Lewinsky just used it. She cracked a joke on Twitter about the scandal that led to President Clinton’s impeachment, prompted by a question from Wharton Professor Adam Grant. Asking about the worst career advice, she tweeted, "An internship at the White House will be amazing on your resume."
Although it’s less risky to be the butt of the joke, don’t do it in a way that degrades yourself or others. Like any repetitive or predictable effort, self-effacing humor can become tiresome if overdone. Humor is healthy!
Even in tragic situations, humor can contribute to surviving horrific conditions, such as Viktor Frankl’s experience in a concentration camp and POWs in other confinement. Using it can convert suffering and tragedy into self-preservation.
Here’s further information about the healing power of humor, which reduces pain and stress while strengthening the immune function and contributing to creativity. Author Maud Purcell adds her own creative ideas about making your humor bloom.
Other ways to improve your humor muscles are:
- Noting how and when others make you laugh. Over time, you could absorb ideas and physical humor, adapting them to your own style.
- Participating in or giving a costume party. You may be happily surprised at what emerges from your unfettered body and fertile brain when you give your accustomed self a vacation.
- Joining with someone to do a skit for a receptive group. To develop further, look into taking an improvisation or acting class.
- Reading and listening to related books and articles. Enjoy the array of cartoons and comics available in newspapers and magazines, as well as online. Pick up shticks from comedians on TV and in person at comedy clubs.
Exposing yourself to clever lightheartedness regularly will not only be enjoyable, but will also plant some images and ideas for being playful and funny.
I hope these ideas tickle your fancy enough to try out new behaviors. To start, choose situations that are safe for experimenting with being yourself ─ where others will be likely to appreciate your playful, funny side. You’ll find the laughter and energy you create contagious.
Many are likely to be charmed by your variety and jolliness, especially if it doesn’t become predictable or mean-spirited. Most of all, you’ll enjoy this fuller expression of yourself, appreciating your richer variety and attracting wider, positive attention. Have fun being funny and playful to lighten your life and attract the interest of others.
Ruth Schimel, Ph.D., is a career and life management consultant and author of the Choose Courage series. She guides clients in accessing their strengths and making viable visions for current and future work and life situations.
