How does play build social bonds and cooperation?
Play acts as a social glue, especially among adults. A 2025 study of wild chimpanzees found that social play among adults is surprisingly common and is directly linked to cooperation and the maintenance of social bonds [1]. This suggests that the social function of play has deep evolutionary roots, stretching back to our common ancestors.
In white-faced capuchin monkeys, play serves different social strategies for males and females. An 18-year study of 38 wild capuchins found that males play socially much more than females during the juvenile period, while females rely more on grooming to build bonds as adults [5]. The researchers concluded that play is critical for developing sex-specific social strategies, supporting the idea that play is a practice ground for adult social life [5].
Does play help animals learn emotional control and physical skills?
Yes, especially through rough-and-tumble play. A review of play fighting in children and other mammals found that this type of play is important for learning emotional control and restraint in competitive or conflict situations [4]. The experience of play fighting teaches animals how to manage aggression without causing real harm.
Risky play in children — climbing, roughhousing, exploring — has an evolutionary function as an anti-phobic mechanism, helping them overcome fears and build emotional resilience [3]. The thrill of risky play motivates children to push their limits, which matures their competency and prepares them for more complex social and physical challenges in adulthood [3].
Is play just practice for adulthood?
The 'practice hypothesis' is strongly supported by the evidence. In capuchin monkeys, rates of both social and solitary play decrease with age, which fits the idea that play is most important early in life for developing skills [5]. The exception was that male capuchins increased their social play during the early juvenile period, suggesting a critical window for practicing adult male social roles [5].
A broader review of play research argues that play has been crucial in the evolution of behavior and psychology, but has been underestimated in evolutionary biology [2]. Play is not just a frivolous activity; it is a fundamental mechanism for developing cognition, emotion, and even culture across many species [2].
About These Sources
This answer is built on 5 peer-reviewed studies — published from 2022 to 2025, 2 from 2024 or later, 2 in Q1 journals, collectively cited 96 times — selected as the most relevant from 6 studies that passed quality screening, drawn from 54 papers retrieved from a database of over 500 million.
Sources used in this answer
Animal behavior: Chimpanzee play and the evolutionary roots of cooperation
A 2025 study found that social play among adult chimpanzees is common and linked to cooperation and social bond maintenance, suggesting deep evolutionary roots for play's societal function [1].
Animal play and evolution: Seven timely research issues about enigmatic phenomena
A 2024 review argues that play has been crucial in the evolution of behavior and psychology but has been underestimated, and calls for more integrative research across neuroscience, modeling, and phylogenetics [2].
Risky play in children’s emotion regulation, social functioning, and physical health: an evolutionary approach
A 2022 theoretical paper proposes that risky play in children evolved as an anti-phobic mechanism and also trains emotional regulation, social functioning, and physical health for future adult contexts [3].
Play fighting (rough-and-tumble play) in children: developmental and evolutionary perspectives
A 2022 review of rough-and-tumble play in children and non-human species concludes that such play is important for emotional control and learning restraint in competitive situations [4].
The development of sex differences in play in wild white‐faced capuchins ( <i>Cebus capucinus</i> )
An 18-year study of 38 wild white-faced capuchins found sex differences in play: males played socially more than females during the juvenile period, while females used grooming for bonding, supporting the practice and bonding hypotheses of play [5].