The Power of Play for Depression, Anxiety, & Stress (encore) [279]

Joy Lab | strengthen your mental health with the science of joy · Aug 5, 2026 · 1m

Is the opposite of depression happiness and the opposite of anxiety just calm? Some researchers have actually played with the idea that the opposite of depression and anxiety might just be... play. It's an interesting idea considering play and depression are inversely related, people who play more report a stronger internal locus of control (the sense that they have some agency over their lives), and when people engage in play, self-reported depression decreases. We'll dig into this more as we look more at the neuroscience of play and how it hits the dopamine system directly and promotes BDNF…