Wednesday 30 March 2011

Bonobos, play and surviving the future



Isabel Behncke says:


“Bonobos, like humans, love to play throughout their entire lives.

“Play is not just child’s games. For us and them, play is foundational for bonding relationships and fostering tolerance. It’s where we learn to trust, and where we learn about the rules of the game. Play increases creativity and resilience.

“When you watch bonobos playing, you are seeing the very evolutionary roots of human laughter, dance and ritual. Play is the glue that binds us together.”

“Play both requires trust and fosters trust, while at the same time being tremendous fun.

“We sometimes play alone, and we explore the boundaries of our inner and outer worlds.

“[In our future], we need to adapt to an increasingly challenging world through greater creativity and greater cooperation. The secret is that play is the key to these capacities. In other words, play is our adaptive wild card; in order to adapt successfully to a changing world, we need to play.”