The Playful Advantage: Chris Marshall on Thriving Amid Uncertainty and Disruption

Behavioural scientist and author argues that playfulness is not a luxury but a vital skill for creativity, adaptability, and resilience in times of upheaval.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, September 16, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Humanity today stands at the edge of an extraordinary turning point. From shifting geopolitical landscapes and the accelerating climate crisis to the rise of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and changing cultural values, the pace of transformation is unprecedented. At a moment when disruption feels relentless, behavioural scientist and applied psychologist Chris Marshall argues that the quality we most need is also the one we most neglect: playfulness.

Marshall’s latest book, The Playful Advantage: The Secret of High-Performing Teams That Love What They Do & Thrive (2025), makes the case that playfulness is not about games or frivolity but about cultivating curiosity, openness, connection, and lightness in how we approach challenges. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and powerful case studies - from NASA to elite sports teams - Marshall shows how playfulness equips people and organisations to adapt, innovate, and flourish even in chaotic conditions.

“Change on this scale can feel overwhelming,” Marshall explains. “When everything seems uncertain, the instinct is often to clamp down and control. But it is playfulness - a mindset of curiosity and connection - that enables us to be creative, resilient, and at our best when the world is at its most unpredictable.”

The Playful Advantage has been recognised with a prestigious Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Award, praised as “an important and timely guide for creating workplaces that energize and inspire.” The book introduces Marshall’s PPM method (Pause, Play, Move), a practical framework leaders can use to foster cultures of psychological safety, shared purpose, and adaptive resilience.

This is the natural continuation of Marshall’s acclaimed first book, Decoding Change (2023), which examined how converging megatrends are reshaping society. That work concluded that humanity is entering perhaps the most significant period of change in its history. Where Decoding Change helped readers recognise and understand the magnitude of transformation, The Playful Advantage provides a way forward: playfulness as a critical capacity for navigating uncertainty.

Marshall’s fascination with human performance under pressure began in 2007, when he entered the financial industry with a background in performance psychology - just weeks before the global financial crisis. Observing traders either paralysed by fear or doubling down recklessly sparked his lifelong inquiry: why do some collapse under pressure while others adapt and even thrive? His career since has been devoted to answering that question. The answer, he discovered, lies beyond mental toughness. True resilience, he argues, comes through cultivating playfulness - a capacity that is innate to us all but often abandoned in adulthood, particularly in professional environments.

This insight drives Marshall’s work today as founder of The Playfulness Lab, a non-profit organisation dedicated to research and training in playfulness for the next generation of leaders. The Lab works with managers and teams across industries, helping them build high-performing cultures where people love what they do and thrive - especially when facing disruption.

Reviewers and readers alike have praised Marshall for combining rigorous science with an engaging, accessible style. His writing challenges long-held assumptions about personality, motivation, and performance, while providing practical, relatable examples - from Uber’s cultural reinvention to the British rowing team’s disciplined mindset. His work demonstrates that playfulness is not just a personal trait but a trainable, context-sensitive quality that can be developed and sustained.

In an era where work often feels heavier, harder, and more disconnected than ever, Marshall’s message is both urgent and hopeful. Playfulness, he insists, is more than an advantage - it is essential. By embracing curiosity, connection, and creativity, individuals and organisations can not only survive upheaval but discover new ways to thrive within it.

About Chris Marshall

Chris Marshall is a behavioural scientist, applied psychologist, and award-winning author. His work explores how humans perform at their best in times of disruption, uncertainty, and change. Through his books, speaking, and The Playfulness Lab, Marshall equips leaders and organisations to harness playfulness as a catalyst for creativity, motivation, and human flourishing in an unpredictable world.

Emma London
The Playfulness Lab
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