Biohacking Leadership

Chapter 10The Neuroscience of Play

By Matthew D. Jones

You are 10 years old and it is a Friday night on the cul‐de‐sac. School is out for the week, homework is put off for a while, and it's time to go outside and play. You grab the red rubber ball from the garage and head out into your driveway. You inspect the safe enclosure of homes around you. Who will come to play? You dribble the rubber ball along the pavement as you slowly walk to the edge of your driveway. The sun is going down, but there is plenty of light. It's perfect for a game of kickball.

After just 30 seconds of dribbling, two kids from next door―six and nine years old―come racing. They had heard the rubber slapping the concrete and came as fast as they could. “How about you guys start setting up the bases,” you tell them, “And I'll go see who can play.” They sprint away with enthusiasm for a task you know they can do well.

Everything you're wearing signals that it's gametime: worn baseball cap, grass‐stained jeans, and your favorite weekend T‐shirt. But nothing shouts “Let's play ball” more than your classic, winning tennis shoes. You're ready to sprint, slide, and kick with the best of them. And as you stand at each door and your neighbor friends answer, within milliseconds of seeing you they get the message. Some of them barely have their shoelaces tied before they're off the porch to join the recruits.

Now that you have your players, here comes the challenging part: Who plays on what team? It has to be right, ...