For years, therapists have urged adults to get in touch with their inner child. Now some are taking the suggestion literally. From the growing popularity of "extreme" sports and wilderness excursions to obsessions with kiddie-toy collectibles, adults these days are ready to have fun.

And that's just as it should be, says Lenore Terr, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. Far from a worrisome sign of immaturity or irresponsibility, the urge to play is a vital and healthy one--and not one limited to children, she writes in her book Beyond Love and Work: Why Adults Need to Play (Scribner, 1999).

Whether it's bowling or Barbie collecting, play is an effective antidote to harried adult lives, says Terr, because it allows us to completely lose ourselves in the moment. A productive distraction from worries about spreading waistlines and mounting bills, true play gives us the opportunity to put aside our egos and focus on pleasure rather than duty. Play does offers some very adult advantages, she adds: people who preserve their sense of fun are better equipped to solve problems, think creatively and manage stress.