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Clay Drinko, Ph.D.

About

Clay Drinko is an educator and the author of Play Your Way Sane: 120 Improv-Inspired Exercises to Help You Calm Down, Stop Spiraling, and Embrace Uncertainty (Jan 2021 Simon & Schuster) and Theatrical Improvisation, Consciousness, and Cognition. He also writes about the intersection between improv, science, and the everyday here at Psychology Today in the blog "Play Your Way Sane." Clay is also a regular contributor for Lifehack and www.PlayYourWaySane.com.

Books by Clay Drinko, Ph.D.
Recent Posts
Lower Your Expectations
Disappointment got you down? Try lowering your expectations. Turns out, there's a science to managing expectations.
Improv, Shrooms, and Neuroscience
What do improv, meditation, and shrooms have in common? Research shows they help alter the brain's default mode network, which may help improve mental health.
Ariana Grande’s "Yes, And" Improv Philosophy

Ariana Grande's latest single is a nod to improv's "Yes, And" principle. Here's what that reveals about dealing with criticism and pushing forward creatively.

Ariana Grande's latest single is a nod to improv's "Yes, And" principle. Here's what that reveals about dealing with criticism and pushing forward creatively.

Wish You Were a Better Parent?

Do you ever wish you were a slightly better parent? One word can make validating your child's feelings feel a lot more fun and natural.

Do you ever wish you were a slightly better parent? One word can make validating your child's feelings feel a lot more fun and natural.

The Constrained Creativity of Elf on the Shelf

Wishing you'd never started hiding that elf? This divisive holiday tradition can be a burden, or it can be an exercise in constrained creativity.

Wishing you'd never started hiding that elf? This divisive holiday tradition can be a burden, or it can be an exercise in constrained creativity.

5 Ways Improv Can Help People with Autism

Improv and autism? A new study shows that improv has powerful social and mental benefits for people with autism.

Improv and autism? A new study shows that improv has powerful social and mental benefits for people with autism.

Just Write Some Garbage

Are you suffering from writer's block? You may be trying too hard and zapping the fun out of the process.

Are you suffering from writer's block? You may be trying too hard and zapping the fun out of the process.

How Can We Fix Our Empathy Deficit?

Are we losing our sense of empathy? Research shows that empathy has been on the decline for decades. Improv may be the surprising solution.

Are we losing our sense of empathy? Research shows that empathy has been on the decline for decades. Improv may be the surprising solution.