In the human species not only children play, but also adults do, something that does not happen in most mammals. According to researchers from Penn State University (USA), this behavior could have an evolutionary explanation, since "the ability of a male to play would indicate to the female that he is not aggressive and that he will not harm his offspring ", explains Garry Chick , co-author of the work.
For a woman to retain the ability to play, it would be a sign of her youth and fertility that would benefit her in the search for a partner, adds the researcher in an article published with his colleagues in the specialized magazine American Journal of Play.
To reach this conclusion, the scientists asked a series of subjects between the ages of 18 and 26 to rate the characteristics that most attracted them to the opposite sex. In the case of women, "sense of humor" and that their partner was "playful" always stood out at the top of the list. The results, Chick concludes, confirm that adults' ability to play is the result of the sexual section and that having this trait "sends positive signals to potential long-term partners."
