Play and playfulness across species and environments
- Submission status
- Open
- Submission deadline
Play can be defined as spontaneous, repeated behavior without any obvious function that is performed in a low-stress setting. While play behaviors may be similar to functional behaviors like fighting or hunting, they differ in their context or structure. Play may be solitary or social, depending on the species and context. Aside from humans, many animals engage in play. Though it is most widely observed in mammals, potential examples of play have also been documented in birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, cephalopods, and even insects. In humans, play is critical to the development of motor, cognitive, language, emotional, and social skills. Playfulness as a personality trait varies across individuals and has been linked in humans to wellbeing and psychological resourcefulness. Individual playfulness may also be used as a measure of welfare in animals.
This Collection will bring together primary research articles on all aspects of play and playfulness, including their neurological basis, evolutionary history, developmental patterns, and functional benefits.
Editors
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Giada Cordoni
University of Torino, Italy
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Fanli Jia
Seton Hall University, USA
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René Proyer
Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
Submitting a paper for consideration
To submit your manuscript for consideration at Scientific Reports as part of this Collection, please follow the steps detailed on this page. On the first page of our online submission system, under “I’m submitting:” select the option “any other article type”. Once logged in you can submit your manuscript to a Collection by selecting “Guest Edited Collection”, under the “Choose the appropriate manuscript type” message, and clicking “Continue”. Then when filling out the manuscript information, select the "Play and playfulness across species and environments" Collection from the alphabetical list on the “Springer Nature Subject Category” tab. Authors should express their interest in the Collection in their cover letter.
Accepted papers are published on a rolling basis as soon as they are ready.
In addition to papers on Play and playfulness across species and environments, Scientific Reports welcomes all original research in the field of Psychology. To browse our latest articles in Psychology click here.
