The opposite of play is not work. The opposite of play is depression. My study of depressed women who were successfully treated through endurance running upholds the power of movement and play to fill an aching heart. Through running, these women discovered a source of vitality and emotional confidence without a lot of intellectual investigation. The physical play bypassed the cognitive roadblocks and built new neural pathways to happiness.

Stuart Brown, M.D.
PLAY: How it Shapes the Brain,
Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul