ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how play is defined; and considers how the behavior of individuals can affect the evolution of their descendants. It considers the various functions attributed to play, since they can lend suggestions about how play evolved, even though current use is not necessarily a good guide to how the behavior evolved. It then examines the idea that playful play facilitates creativity and drives the evolution of cognitive ability. Accepting the definitions of play, most examples in the animal kingdom are to be found in birds and mammals. An important empirical demonstration of adaptability driving evolutionary change may be that of the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). Play leads to a form of plasticity, since by playing an individual is able to acquire skills and understanding of its physical and social environment. Play is an effective mechanism, therefore, for encouraging creativity since creativity also involves breaking away from established patterns of thought and behavior.
