The research, carried out for Play England by the University of Gloucestershire, found that playing affects the areas of the brain that govern emotion, motivation and reward.
The report looked at a range of scientific studies on childhood. Researchers found that play enables children to experience and express emotions of joy, fear, anger, sadness, shock and disgust. These emotions are held in check by the rules, rituals and play signals of the game.
Stuart Lester, who co-authored the report with Wendy Russell, said: "Emotions have a key role in playing and play makes a major contribution to developing emotion regulation, building strong attachments and peer friendships, engendering positive feelings, and enabling children to cope with stressful situations through developing creative approaches and problem solving skills."
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