In a previous blog post, we explored the connection between playfulness and active inference, discussing how a playful disposition can contribute to a meaningful life by promoting curiosity, openness to experience, and emotional regulation. In this post, we delve into the darker side of the equation – the impact of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on active inference and, consequently, on an individual’s capacity for playfulness.
Dr Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play, suggests that depression is the antithesis of playfulness. This idea is supported by a recent paper by Adam Linson, Thomas Parr, and Karl J. Friston, titled “Active inference, stressors, and psychological trauma: A neuroethological model of (mal)adaptive explore-exploit dynamics in ecological context.” The authors propose a computational model of adaptive and maladaptive behaviour in the face of stressors, grounded in the active inference framework.
According to active inference, organisms operate by minimising variational free energy – an information-theoretic measure that bounds surprise. In simpler terms, organisms strive to minimise the difference between their predictions (based on their internal model of the world) and the sensory evidence they encounter. This is achieved through a balance of exploiting familiar strategies and exploring new ones.
Linson and colleagues argue that traumatic experiences can disrupt this balance, leading to maladaptive behaviour. In their model, a traumatic event is conceptualised as a high-intensity sensory outcome that is assigned an excessively precise negative preference (i.e., a strong aversion). This overly precise prior belief can lead to a phenomenon known as “learned helplessness,” where an individual becomes trapped in a state of passivity and fails to explore alternative strategies, even when escape from the aversive situation is possible.
The authors demonstrate how their model can account for key features of PTSD, such as hyperarousal and hypervigilance. Hyperarousal is modelled as a heightened readiness for motor policy selection, driven by the imperative to avoid highly aversive outcomes. Hypervigilance, on the other hand, is framed as excessive epistemic foraging – a compulsive seeking of evidence related to the traumatic event, at the expense of other exploratory behaviours.
These findings have important implications for understanding the relationship between trauma, PTSD, and playfulness. Playfulness, as discussed in our previous post, is characterised by a willingness to explore, to engage with uncertainty, and to flexibly reappraise one’s beliefs in light of new evidence. Trauma and PTSD, by contrast, can lead to a rigid, inflexible cognitive style, where an individual becomes trapped in a narrow repertoire of defensive behaviours, unable to engage in the open, curious exploration that is the hallmark of play.
This perspective aligns with Dr Brown’s suggestion that depression is the opposite of playfulness. Depression, like PTSD, is often characterised by a loss of flexibility and a narrowing of behavioural repertoires. The active inference framework provides a computational account of how these states might arise from disruptions in the explore-exploit balance.
The implications of this work for clinical practice are significant. By framing trauma and PTSD in terms of active inference, Linson and colleagues provide a principled framework for understanding these conditions and developing targeted interventions. For example, therapy could focus on gradually exposing individuals to novel, non-threatening stimuli, in order to promote exploratory behaviour and reduce the precision of overly rigid prior beliefs.
Moreover, the link between playfulness and active inference suggests that interventions designed to promote playfulness – such as play therapy or improvisational theatre – could be valuable tools in the treatment of trauma and PTSD. By providing a safe, supportive environment for exploration and experimentation, these approaches could help individuals break free from the narrow, defensive behavioural patterns that characterise these conditions.
In conclusion, the active inference framework provides a powerful lens through which to understand the impact of trauma and PTSD on an individual’s capacity for playfulness. By disrupting the delicate balance between exploration and exploitation, these conditions can trap individuals in a state of chronic defensive arousal, unable to engage in the open, flexible, and curious behaviours that are the essence of play. By shedding light on these processes, computational models such as the one proposed by Linson and colleagues pave the way for new, targeted interventions that could help individuals rediscover the healing power of playfulness in the wake of trauma.
