The Transformative Power of Joy and Play
- James O'Keefe, MD
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Olympics are such a spectacle, and they are so widely watched that they can unite us in ways that almost nothing else can. Alysa Liu’s wildly charismatic free skate to win gold in women’s figure skating was one of those moments that will live on forever as joy in motion and grace under pressure. Now, I must admit that normally I do not watch figure skating—just too much gloomy tension, judgement and heartbreak when they inevitably fall. So, I only saw Alysa’s performance after I read Jason Gay’s column that called her “A wintry blade-spinning superstar whose 4-minute skate was like stepping into a blast of sunshine”. It has already been labeled as Winter Olympics legend and an inflection point that will change the Games forever.
At age 13 Liu was the youngest ever US National Champion women’s figure skater, but then she walked away from skating at age 16 due to burnout—the intense emotional pressure had stolen the fun. When she returned to skating 2 years ago, she made one crucial change: she decided to skate on her own terms. Less stress. More presence and artistic expression. More play.
That playful exuberance was on full display at the Olympics. While others looked tense and burdened by weight of the world’s expectations, Liu skated with a lightness that felt almost childlike — grinning, expressive, fully alive. Before she even saw her score, she glided off the ice overflowing with happiness, celebrating the experience itself. Skating off the ice beaming to ecstatic applause and laughing, Liu leans into the camera and yells, “That’s what I’m f***kin’ talking about!” Her skate brought smiles and even tears of joy; I couldn’t stop rewatching it.
As one commentator put it, “She’s figured out how to compete without carrying the weight of it. She stays so loose and completely herself out there. That’s the secret every athlete wants to solve. It is like she is just playing on the ice. She’s not even performing anymore.”
Here’s the lesson: joy isn’t a distraction from excellence — it may be one of its greatest catalysts.
In medicine, athletics, and everyday life, we often believe success comes from pushing harder and taking everything more seriously. But biology tells us something different. When we are playful and fully engaged in the present moment, stress hormones fall, creativity rises, movement becomes fluid, and performance improves. Psychologists call this flow. Kids call it play. When people have fun, they glow with an energy that feels life-giving to be around.
Our hunter-gatherer ancestors didn’t separate movement, connection, and enjoyment — they lived them simultaneously. Joy wasn’t optional; it was part of being human. Catherine Price says, “Fun is a joyful, energizing feeling that erases differences, silences our inner critics, brings people together, and makes us feel alive.”
This week, try a small experiment: do something purely for the joy of it. Move your body in a way that feels playful. Laugh more. Take yourself a little less seriously. Alysa felt the corrosive stress that was stealing her joy and ruining her mental health. Her epic comeback was accomplished by setting boundaries, protecting her health and displaying her real self. Not chasing gold but freeing herself to train hard but to enjoy the moment, free from expectations and judgement of others.
You may discover — as Alysa Liu did when she shined in her golden moment — that when joy and playfulness return, energy and excellence often follow.
Watch her gold-medal performance here:
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