By this point of the year, many New Year’s resolutions have begun to unravel. Researchers have long noted that most resolutions are abandoned within weeks—a pattern so common that the second Friday of the year has been dubbed “Quitter’s Day.”
Why the drop-off? Resolutions often fail because they’re built on pressure rather than sustainability. We set goals we think we should pursue, instead of ones we genuinely want to sustain. Behaviors with emotional payoffs that feel rewarding, not punitive, are far more likely to stick, but we rarely take this into account when designing resolutions.
Americans’ most common goals heading into 2026 were a familiar set: exercising more, improving physical and mental health and happiness, spending more time with family, saving money. It’s an admirable list. Before we abandon them entirely, it’s worth noting that there’s a pathway to many of them that doesn’t require more discipline or effort but is simple, enjoyable, and hiding in plain sight: play.
A few months ago, my family visited Billund, Denmark, the birthplace of LEGO and a city devoted to play. Technicolor terraces housed whimsical playgrounds; squiggly sidewalk lines inviting “random walks” instead of efficient ones; and rooftop trampolines and slides surprised and delighted. I felt lighter, more joyful, and genuinely refreshed.
This was no coincidence. Decades of research show that play is not a luxury, but a biological and psychological necessity. Psychiatrist Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play, defines play as “something done for its own sake”–voluntary, pleasurable, and engaging; the act itself matters more than the outcome.
For children, play is foundational. It supports cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development and strengthens parent-child bonds. Sports can improve physical health, social development and academic achievement. Even often-vilified video games can be “good” for the brain – improving hand-eye coordination, social connection, and creativity – when played with others in moderation.
The benefits don’t disappear with age. For adolescents and young adults, play builds emotional intelligence and resilience as they navigate careers, relationships, and new responsibilities. Even later in life, play is associated with larger brain volumes and may help protect against cognitive decline and diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
The absence of play carries real costs. While studying violent offenders, Dr. Brown found a strikingly consistent pattern of significant play deprivation in childhood. Without play, children struggle to develop trust, empathy, and healthy social bonds—deficits that can echo into adulthood.
Play also matters at work. It has been shown to boost creativity, productivity, and employee engagement. Some companies have designed playful environments not merely as perks, but also as performance tools to fuel breakthroughs and innovation. Pete Docter, Pixar’s chief creative officer, noted the company’s philosophy to “foster as much play as we can” because it produces the best work.
The same dynamic plays out far beyond the office and the board room. Years ago, U.S.skier Alex Hall–a favorite in the upcoming Winter Olympics–made the counterintuitive decision “to let go of expectations and ski the way he did as a kid”– “tinkering, experimenting, improvising, and chasing the simple pleasure of movement.” Skiing didn’t feel like work anymore, and his career took off.
To be sure, play can be distorted or taken to extremes. Excessive gaming can impair functioning, and hyper-competitive youth sports can lead to injury and burnout. Play alone won’t solve the most pressing challenges of our day. But in a moment when so many of us feel stretched thin, play may be one of the most effective tools we have for renewal and resilience, helping shore ourselves up for the acts of courage and creativity in a world that needs both.
So as February rolls on, consider a different kind of resolution—one you might actually enjoy keeping. Start playing again. Do things you find interesting and genuinely fun: play sports, host a game night, or revisit an old hobby. Sing while you do the dishes. Build unstructured time into your schedule and your children’s, remembering that a little boredom can be a good thing. Need some ideas? Take a quiz to identify your play personality and get more inspiration.
In a world that feels increasingly complex and demanding, this is a joyful irony worth embracing. Instead of striving to do more, be more, or try one more life hack, perhaps the most radical—and restorative—choice available to us is simply giving ourselves permission to play.