THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE LOVELACE

In a week which celebrates Nobel laureates, ground-breaking computer pioneers and creators of closeted alternative universes, we turn our Acme Cultuwal Camewa (inventor E. Fudd PHD) on …The Power of Playfulness.

Back in the mid-eighties, veteran cameraman Lionel Banes explained to a gaggle of chain-smoking leather-jacketed film students why British Special Effects teams were (at that time) widely regarded as so much better than their American equivalents. And I paraphrase (wildly) many nicotine-free decades later:

“The problem with Americans is that they’re too efficient. The studio sets them a task and they deliver.  The Brits, on the other hand, they really enjoy just playing with the models, the sets and the action. And that’s how you discover the good stuff.”

I thought of Lionel this Monday, the 13^th of October, when Israeli-American economist, Joel Mokyr received the Nobel Prize.  According to his historical perspective of economic growth:  “Progress depends on people willing to waste time.” *

Because, as Mokyr proposes in his broader theory:

Playfulness is ‘an economic virtue disguised as a leisure activity,’ which:

 ‘Keeps knowledge creation open-ended,

Tolerates ‘failure’ as part of discovery, and

Makes innovation self-sustaining , because people enjoy exploring.’

This was a big week for playfulness.

The day after Mokyr received his award at the Konserthuset, Stockholm, we celebrated Ada Lovelace Day (Tuesday the 14^th of October) and then, on Thursday, we raised a cup of steaming Beaver Cocoa in honour of ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ (first published 16 October, 1950).

Lovelace, who constructed the world’s first algorithm (in 1843 at the age of 27) was the ‘child of two revolutions’ (or two 'worlds' in Narnia terms):

Her father, Lord Byron, was a poet, adventurer and the pre-eminent figure of the English and European Romantic movement (think Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Bob Dylan rolled into one)**

Her mother, Lady Byron (who Byron referred to as his ‘Princess of Parallelograms’) was a mathematician and reformer who, embodying the spirit of The Enlightenment, ‘ensured that Ada’s education focused on reason over emotion, giving Ada access to some of the best scientific minds of the day.'

Or to put it in Mokyr’s terms, young Ada embodied the spirit of the Industrial Enlightenment:

“Science without imagination becomes sterile; imagination without reason becomes fantasy. Growth occurs when they reinforce one another.”

Or, as Ada herself wrote (playfully) to her mother in 1841:

“Imagination is the faculty which gives shape to the world’s discoveries. A poetical science in which the poet and mathematician unite.” 

Like Lovelace, Lewis, the father of Narnia, was also a liminal figure, straddling the threshold between his rational heritage (modern science, logic and philosophy) and his romantic heritage (Wordsworth, myth and medievalism).

To Lewis, a late convert to Christianity, playfulness was creation with a big ‘C,’ mirroring the Divine Creation, and therefore a very serious business:

“Play, while it lasts, is serious. That is its paradox. Play is not the opposite of seriousness, it is the opposite of solemnity.”

But for those of us who are neither ground-breaking computer pioneers or creators of closeted alternative universes, play, and playfulness, can be an even more serious business. The stuff of survival in fact, as a scientific paper published earlier this year points out.***

The research document kicks off by outlining playfulness’s positive (scientific) Press:

‘…Cumulative empirical evidence from recent decades suggest that more playful individuals generally function better, maintain better health, and experience greater happiness than their less playful counterpart. Specifically, correlational studies have revealed significant associations between heightened playfulness and various favourable workplace outcomes, including increased productivity, creativity, innovation and job satisfaction. Young adults characterised by higher levels of playfulness reported greater emotional intelligence, better academic performance and higher adaptability across multiple domains, from learning and problem-solving to handling stress and uncertainty. Other studies have documented positive links between adult playfulness and physical health, mental health, subjective happiness and life satisfaction across wide age ranges.’ 

And then the paper goes on to detail an experiment conducted across some 500 U.S. participants, aged from 20 t0 79, with an equal gender split, and varying degrees of playfulness as measured by ‘the established Adult Playfulness Trait Scale (APTS).  Interestingly, the experiment was conducted during the first two weeks of February 2021: ‘in the U.S., this period was marked by the peak of the second wave of COVID 19 cases and an early stage of vaccination rollout.’

And when the results came in:

‘Specifically, we detected a ‘forward-shining’ spotlight effect -in times of adversity, playful individuals focused on positive future possibilities while maintaining clear-eyed realism about current circumstances. Meanwhile, they engaged in flexible adaptation, creative exploration and quality experiences despite challenges. The findings that Lemonading*****

lies at the heart of playful (re)framing, wherein playful individuals creatively imagine and pursue positive possibilities to cultivate enjoyment, resilience, and growth, without denying or distorting realistic assessments of threats and challenges.’

Or, as one playful soul to another might put it:  “It’ll be R. Whites on the night.”

DT 19 October 2025

*A Culture of Growth: The Origins of the Modern Economy, J Mokyr, 25 October 2016

**Legend has it that one night at the Theatre Drury Lane (where Byron was part of the board of management) a young wit sniffed the air and pronounced: “I believe His Lordship must be in the House tonight,” referring to the Poet’s reputation for arousing women wholesale wherever he went.

***How does playfulness (re)frame the world?  Evidence for selective cognitive and behavioural redirecting in times of adversity.  Xiangyou Shen and Zoe Crawley, Frontiers in Psychology, 10-2-25

****'Lemonading is a mindset for approaching challenges by using a playful, flexible, and optimistic approach to reframe them as opportunities for growth and finding joy. It involves creatively imagining positive outcomes and finding new possibilities, not by ignoring problems, but by engaging with them in a more constructive and resilient way. The term was coined by researchers at Oregon State University, who found a strong connection between a playful mindset and resilience in difficult circumstances.’