PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

During pandemic, playful people were remarkably resilient, OSU research shows

During pandemic, playful people were remarkably resilient, OSU research shows
2025-02-10
(Press-News.org) CORVALLIS, Ore. – Adults with high levels of playfulness showed strong resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to less playful individuals, new research shows.

The study led by Xiangyou “Sharon” Shen of Oregon State University is important because playfulness is a vital but underappreciated resource for building resilience and maintaining well-being during difficult periods such as the pandemic, Shen said. And it’s a resource that individuals can cultivate.

“Understanding how playful people navigate adversity can inform interventions and strategies to help people cope with stress and uncertainty,” said Shen, an assistant professor in the OSU College of Forestry and the director of the Health, Environment and Leisure Research Lab, or HEAL. “This is particularly relevant as we face increasing global challenges that require both realistic assessment and creative adaptation.”

Chronic stress is a significant public health concern in the United States, according to the American Psychological Association. It’s linked to health problems ranging from heart disease and diabetes to depression and anxiety, and the long-term effects of chronic stress have the potential to strain the U.S. health care system.

Factors like the pandemic, economic uncertainty and social issues can heighten stress and increase mental health diagnoses, the association says.

Shen and HEAL researcher Zoe Crawley broke a study group of more than 500 adults from the U.S. into two subgroups: those with higher levels of playfulness as measured by the Adult Playfulness Trait Scale, and those with lower levels of playfulness.

“They shared similar perceptions of risk and protective factors as their less playful peers but demonstrated greater optimism when envisioning future possibilities, engaged in more creative problem solving and managed to infuse quality and enjoyment into everyday activities,” said Shen, whose team developed the trait measurement scale in 2014. “They actively altered challenging situations, found creative substitutes for what was lost, viewed obstacles as opportunities for growth and maintained a strong sense of control over their responses.”

Perhaps most revealing, Shen added, was that while the highly playful didn’t necessarily do different activities or do them more often than less playful people, they experienced the activities with higher quality – greater immersion, activeness and positive affect.

“This is essentially making lemonade from lemons, and it’s connected intimately with resilience,” she said. “Their unique combination of realistic assessment and flexible problem solving emerged as a powerful formula, offering a vivid demonstration of how personality traits like playfulness shape our responses under stress.”

Shen emphasizes that playful people don’t view the world through “rose-colored glasses” but rather with the ability to see upside while maintaining “clear-eyed realism.”

“Highly playful people were just as realistic about COVID-19 risks and challenges as others, but they excelled at ‘lemonading’ – creatively imagining and pursuing the positive, discovering ways to create moments of joy even in difficult circumstances,” she said.

Shen notes that while researchers have long claimed that playful people “reframe” situations to make them more enjoyable, the widely accepted idea had been “surprisingly vague and untested.” It was unclear exactly what the reframing is or how it works.

Shen and Crawley saw COVID-19 as an opportunity to look for answers. With most of the population experiencing similar large-scale disruption, Shen said, the researchers were able to move beyond assumptions and determine the specific ways playfulness helps people navigate tough times.

“Playfulness doesn’t distort reality – it enhances it,” Shen said. “And while our study focused on measuring rather than developing playfulness, research suggests several approaches to cultivate this quality.”

Those approaches include:

Engaging in activities that spark joy and curiosity.  Being open to new experiences, including experimenting with new ways of doing routine activities. Creating opportunities for spontaneous, unstructured exploration. Hanging out with people who make you laugh and inspire you to play. Embracing moments of silliness and humor when appropriate. “Of course, interpretation of appropriateness may vary, and knowing boundaries makes playing with them more fun,” Shen said. “A key to all of this is focusing on the quality of engagement rather than simply doing what might be called play activities. True playfulness doesn’t require a playground, games or toys. It’s about bringing a spirit of openness, flexibility and fun to everyday moments.”

Shen adds, though, that regularly setting aside time for play can be instrumental as it provides a safe space to express and practice playfulness.

“Even during hectic times, dedicating five to 10 minutes daily for a small dose of play – whether solo or shared – can make a meaningful difference,” Shen said.

Findings were published in Frontiers in Psychology.

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
During pandemic, playful people were remarkably resilient, OSU research shows During pandemic, playful people were remarkably resilient, OSU research shows 2 During pandemic, playful people were remarkably resilient, OSU research shows 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Tracing gas adsorption on “crowns” of platinum and gold connected by nanotunnels

Tracing gas adsorption on “crowns” of platinum and gold connected by nanotunnels
2025-02-08
Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have elucidated how hydrogen and carbon monoxide is adsorbed into solids containing a crown-motif structure of platinum and gold. Using quick-scan X-ray absorption measurements and theoretical calculations, they studied a solid of [PtAu8(PPh3)8]-H[PMo12O40] called PtAu8-PMo12 and found that gas adsorption is affected strongly by the dimension of nanoscale voids in the structure. This highlights the importance of engineering voids in materials for next generation sensors and gas separation.   Ligand-protected metal clusters have been a source of ...

Rare bird skull from the age of dinosaurs helps illuminate avian evolution

Rare bird skull from the age of dinosaurs helps illuminate avian evolution
2025-02-08
A new study in Nature describing a fossil of a nearly complete and intact bird skull from Antarctica is shedding light on the early evolution of today’s birds and avian diversity at the end of the Age of Dinosaurs. The skull is from Vegavis iaai, an extinct duck-like bird that lived during the Late Cretaceous, just before non-avian dinosaurs went extinct. It’s one of very few 3D bird skulls known to science from the Cretaceous — a 79-million-year geological period and the last era when ...

Researchers find high levels of the industrial chemical BTMPS in fentanyl

2025-02-08
A UCLA research team has found that drugs being sold as fentanyl contain high amounts of the industrial chemical bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) sebacate, or BTMPS. This new substance of concern emerged in the illicit drug supply nearly simultaneously in multiple U.S. locations from coast-to-coast. From June through October 2024, the team quantitatively tested samples of drugs sold as fentanyl that had high levels of the chemical, which belongs to a class of compounds called hindered amine light stabilizers ...

Decoding fat tissue

Decoding fat tissue
2025-02-08
As many as 40% of Americans are obese, putting them at an increased risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, heart disease and certain cancers, according to the CDC. New research from the University of Delaware aims to tackle the issue by investigating obesity at the gene level.  Principal investigator Ibra Fancher, assistant professor of kinesiology and applied physiology in UD’s College of Health Sciences, discovered significant differences in gene expression in adipose tissue, more commonly known as fat. Formerly considered fat storage, adipose tissue is now recognized as a vital ...

Solar and electric-powered homes feel the effects of blackouts differently, according to new research from Stevens

2025-02-08
Hoboken, N.J., February 7, 2025 — As winter storms and summer heat waves increasingly stress the nation’s power grids, Stevens researchers have developed a new way to identify the homes most vulnerable to blackouts — without even visiting them. The timing couldn't be more critical. With more than a quarter of U.S. homes already fully electric, and solar installations set to triple during the next five years, understanding vulnerabilities has become critical for emergency planning and public safety. "We're ...

Metal ion implantation and laser direct writing dance together: constructing never-fading physical colors on lithium niobate crystals

Metal ion implantation and laser direct writing dance together: constructing never-fading physical colors on lithium niobate crystals
2025-02-07
  A new publication from Opto-Electronic Advances; DOI  10.29026/oea.2025.240193 , discusses a novel approach towards robust construction of physical colors on lithium niobate crystal.   Color has a profound impact on the way humans observe, perceive and understand the world. It is like a silent language, subtly shaping our perception and response to the surrounding environment. From the first ray of sunshine in the morning to the twinkling stars in the night sky, colors are everywhere. They are not only a visual ...

High-frequency enhanced ultrafast compressed photography technology (H-CAP) allows microscopic ultrafast movie to appear at a glance

High-frequency enhanced ultrafast compressed photography technology (H-CAP) allows microscopic ultrafast movie to appear at a glance
2025-02-07
  A new publication from Opto-Electronic Advances; DOI  10.29026/oea.2025.240180 , discusses high-frequency enhanced ultrafast compressed photography technology.   Single-shot ultrafast imaging technology can characterize transient events under a wide range of conditions. It opens the door to explore the unrepeatable or difficult to reproduce ultrafast phenomena such as photosynthesis at the molecular or atomic scale in nature and the precision manufacturing of semiconductor ...

Single-beam optical trap-based surface-enhanced raman scattering optofluidic molecular fingerprint spectroscopy detection system

Single-beam optical trap-based surface-enhanced raman scattering optofluidic molecular fingerprint spectroscopy detection system
2025-02-07
A new publication from Opto-Electronic Advances; DOI  10.29026/oea.2025.240182 , discusses a single-beam optical trap-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering optofluidic molecular fingerprint spectroscopy detection system.   Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive analytical technique that allows for precise analysis of substances based on their unique molecular Raman spectral characteristics. However, traditional Raman spectroscopy techniques suffer from weak signal intensity, limiting their sensitivity in high-sensitivity detection applications. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technology, on the other hand, can amplify Raman signals by several million ...

Removing large brain artery clot, chased with clot-buster shot may improve stroke outcomes

2025-02-07
Research Highlights: Stroke survivors were more likely to have little or no disability after 90 days if a clot was removed from a large brain artery followed by the injection of the clot-dissolving medication tenecteplase directly into the artery near the blockage, compared to people receiving standard medical treatment after clot removal. In this trial, standard care was clot removal without clot-dissolving medication. The added treatment may work by dissolving blood clots in the small vessels (microcirculation) near the major blockage, reducing the amount of brain tissue deprived of blood. The ANGEL-TNK trial found that this approach was ...

A highly sensitive laser gas sensor based on a four-prong quartz tuning fork

A highly sensitive laser gas sensor based on a four-prong quartz tuning fork
2025-02-07
A new publication from Opto-Electronic Advances; DOI  10.29026/oea.2025.240275, discusses A highly sensitive laser gas sensor based on a four-prong quartz tuning fork.   Trace gases, though have a volume fraction much less than 1% of the atmosphere, significantly impact various sectors. Despite their low concentration, typically between 10-12 to 10-6, gases like nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and greenhouse gases contribute to atmospheric pollution, a pressing global issue exacerbated by industrialization and urbanization. Moreover, detecting trace gases is crucial for industrial ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

‘Internal alarm system’ harnesses immune system against cancer

Stem cell transplant for stroke leads to brain cell growth and functional recovery in mice

Cleveland Clinic study shows greater long-term benefits of bariatric surgery compared to GLP-1 medicines

Revised diagnostic criteria for vascular cognitive impairment and dementia—The VasCog-2-WSO criteria

The ATREIDES program in search of lost exo-Neptunes

Ancient crop discovered in the Canary Islands thanks to archaeological DNA

Placental research may transform our understanding of autism and human brain evolution

Mapping the Universe, faster and with the same accuracy

Study isolates population aging as primary driver of musculoskeletal disorders

Designing a sulfur vacancy redox disruptor for photothermoelectric and cascade‑catalytic‑driven cuproptosis–ferroptosis–apoptosis therapy

Recent advances in dynamic biomacromolecular modifications and chemical interventions: Perspective from a Chinese chemical biology consortium

CRF and the Jon DeHaan Foundation to launch TCT AI Lab at TCT 2025

Canada’s fastest academic supercomputer is now online at SFU after $80m upgrades

Architecture’s past holds the key to sustainable future

Laser correction for short-sightedness is safe and effective for older teenagers

About one in five people taking Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro say food tastes saltier or sweeter than before

Taking semaglutide turns down food noise, research suggests

Type 2 diabetes may double risk of sepsis, large community-based study suggests

New quantum sensors can withstand extreme pressure

Tirzepatide more cost-effective than semaglutide in patients with knee osteoarthritis and obesity

GLP-1 drugs shown cost-effective for knee osteoarthritis and obesity

Interactive apps, AI chatbots promote playfulness, reduce privacy concerns

How NIL boosts college football’s competitive balance

Moffitt researchers develop machine learning model to predict urgent care visits for lung cancer patients

Construction secrets of honeybees: Study reveals how bees build hives in tricky spots

Wheat disease losses total $2.9 billion across the United States and Canada between 2018 and 2021

New funding fuels development of first potentially regenerative treatment for multiple sclerosis

NJIT student–faculty team wins best presentation award for ant swarm simulation

Ants defend plants from herbivores but can hinder pollination

When the wireless data runs dry

[Press-News.org] During pandemic, playful people were remarkably resilient, OSU research shows