Normally when we operate, we subconsciously assess risk, This happens especially when we are not having fun with something, because it feels like our brain automatically switches into risk aversion mode, which is our default – and for good reason. When we are in our default mode of survival, we don’t want to take risks. We become good with good enough.

However, play is an exception. When our minds turn to play, risks become fun, and we end up doing things that moment by moment might not be ideal but in the long run might lead to a better outcome.

The concept of local maxima is relevant here. Imagine that there is a swamp with many hills and valleys, with valleys below the water and hills above it. Some hills are as high as 100 ft high and some are just above water, and some valleys are as low as 100 feet below water and some are just below water. In normal times, if someone is at a hill even only 1 foot over water, they will avoid taking the risk of jumping down under the water and drowning. After all, they are already above water, so why risk it? Yes, maybe they aren’t at the highest hill but the important thing is just to not drown. However, when we are having fun and playing, we naturally are given the courage and strength to dive under water. The fun refocuses our mind towards doing even better, instead of avoiding loss.

The more we dive underwater, the more we give ourselves a chance to swim around and eventually end up at a higher hill. We can play it safe or we can take risks.

(Each of these “jams” would not make the cut for a Beatles album, but if the Beatles did not regularly play and experiment and take risks, I don’t believe they would have stumbled into the initially strange ideas for Revolver or Sgt. Pepper)

The catch is of course, this scenario yields different lessons depending on the situation. Survival mode makes sense often. In a time of scarcity and high risk, it’s good to settle for what you have and play it safe. In fact, it is often the only plausible answer. And when one is playing, they may make mistakes moment by moment that if they were being seriously evaluated, make them look bad. When one is raising a child, where every mistake is amplified and might scar the child for life, the only right answer is to place a higher premium on avoiding risk.

Risk taking is scary for the most part, and it is good that we have evolved to think in that way. However, in the right cases, fun is a lubricant against our static tendencies, giving us the courage and energy to take risks that help us improve in the long term.