Tahar, Mathilde; Carter, Alecia; (2024) Play, inventions, and adaptability. Presented at: The Royal Society, Bath, UK.

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Abstract

The evolutionary function of play remains a subject of ongoing debate among biologists. Some argue it evolved to expend surplus energy (Burghardt 1984), others view it as practice for typical behaviours (Byers 1984), and some suggest it cultivates the flexibility necessary to adapt to new situations (Spinka et al. 2001). This increased flexibility, whether it is the evolutionary explanation of play of a mere by-product; is increasingly recognised as crucial in the development of adaptability. Indeed, playful behaviours may constitute a reservoir of adaptive variability (Leca & Gunst 2023), encouraging the development of innovations driving adaptability in changing environments (Bateson 2014; Burghardt 2015), and enabling animals to escape from sub-optimal patterns. How and why does play enable the animal mind to remain flexible (Gromov 2011)? How does it enable inventiveness? And can this inventiveness then be used adaptively? Objective: Exploring the link between play and adaptive inventiveness, proposing new insights into how play behaviour contributes to evolutionary adaptability. Methods: - Analysing the different types of play across species & how they can train adaptive flexibility. - Assessing the link between play and evolutionary success.

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