Playful People: Fun is in the Mind of the Beholder

Abstract

People who are playful are able to transform almost any situation into one that is amusing and entertaining by cognitively and imaginatively manipulating it in their mind. This investigation provides insight into the playfulness quality and its component factors, by delineating relationships with measures of personality, affective style, and motivational orientation for university students. Findings revealed that, overall, playfulness could be largely explained by the NEO personality dimensions, particularly extraversion, for both males and females, and beyond that, relationships differed by gender. Race/ethnicity also distinguished significant playfulness predictors, more so for females than males, and to a lesser extent than gender. The four playfulness components showed different relationships with the personality measures, and gender and race/ethnicity again played a role in some. The findings provide insight into the quality possessed by a number of people of playing in one's mind, with virtual disregard for the characteristics of the external environment.