Birds Who Play Have Bigger Brains And Live Longer
When was the last time you played? For many of us, responsibility and busy-ness leave little time for play. But, new research confirms what we’ve known all along: Play is important in both humans and other species. In fact, a new study shows that birds that play with others have larger brains and live longer lives. And the same may go for humans as well.
The research
For the past 50 years, studies have been done trying to link the use of tools such as rocks and sticks to cognitive abilities in animals. Gisela Kaplan, Emeritus Professor in Animal Behaviour, University of New England sought to continue this research. She studied 77 native Australian bird species to determine how tool-use related to brain size or life expectancy. What she found was surprising…
The results
Kaplan’s study found no significant association between tool use and brain mass in Australian birds. However, she did notice something unexpected… birds that played with others had the largest brain mass, relative to body size, and even the longest lifespans.
How do birds play?
Kaplan divided bird play into three categories: solo, object, and social.
Solo play is the most widespread type of play and generally involves a single bird running, skipping, jumping, ducking, rolling, hanging, swinging, dancing, sliding, and snow-romping. Honeyeaters, parrots, magpies, currawongs, butcherbirds, riflebirds, and some pigeon species all exhibit solo play.
Object play is play that involves interacting with objects such as sticks, stones, and small household items. There are not as many object-playing birds as solo playing birds, but it is still widespread across species
Social play is the most rare type of play. It involves two or more players interacting with each other, often using objects. Social play has been documented in parrots and corvids, and also observed in magpies and ravens.
Which kind of play was most closely linked to larger brain size?
Social players had by far the largest average brain size relative to body weight. While it has not yet been determined if play results in larger brains or larger brains trigger play behavior, it’s clear that playing socially, or even just playing at all, is related to a bigger brain and a longer life.
What are the larger implications of the study?
The stages of development in humans and birds are similar. Both human and bird offspring develop slowly and require a lot of parental support until maturity. It’s possible that play is an evolutionary driver for intelligence and maybe even a longer life.
There is a lot more research to be done about the impacts of playing. But, whether or not the studies conclude that play extends human lifespan, there is no question that playing is beneficial for both mental and physical health.