Why do we still need to fidget as adults?

If you are like me, you have fidget toys spread all over your desk at work, with something to grab always within reach when concentrating or sitting in a long online meeting. But, unlike most people, i have to "test" any new fidget toy before we can sell them.

Have you ever found yourself absentmindedly tapping your foot, twirling a pen, or even clicking a pen cap during a meeting or while working on a task? Many adults have a natural inclination to fidget, and it turns out that this habit might have more benefits than you’d expect.

My desk

Why do we fidget?

Most commonly, fidgeting involves making small repetitive movements with your body, usually with your hands and feet. Examples of fidgeting include playing with your hair, chewing on clothing, bouncing knees or tapping feet or hands. Fidgeting often occurs when we are feeling nervous, anxious, frustrated, bored, excited, or a combination of these feelings. These emotions often arise when we are in a situation that we find boring or anxiety-provoking.

When we feel anxious, it triggers a physiological response in our body. This involves the release of the stress hormone cortisol, which can lead us to have an excess build-up of energy in our nervous system. If you have no outlet to release this energy, then you’re more likely to fidget. Likewise, feeling bored or disinterested in an activity can lead to restless, fidgety behaviour as our concentration on the task at hand is diminished.

According to Health Central, fidgeting has long had a negative perception but today scientific studies are revealing that these (nervous) habits can be coping mechanisms. A way for people—especially those with ADHD, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)—to improve focus, calm stress, and even increase levels of dopamine, the feel-good hormone that eases anxiety and helps us relax.

“People with ADHD fidget not just due to energy, but as a way to focus. Although a fidgeting person may appear distracted, the opposite is usually true,” says Katie Lear, LCMHC, RPT, RDT, counselor, play therapist and drama therapist at Creative Tween Counseling in Davidson, North Carolina. Though it may never have been explained this way, fidgeting is a coping skill that helps with concentration. The fidget must be mindless—an activity you don't think about—to be effective.  

Therapeutic Uses of Fidgets

Autistic individuals often experience sensory processing issues that can significantly impact their daily live (Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is estimated to affect up to 90% of people with ASD). These sensory challenges can manifest in various ways and may result in difficulties with self-care, anxiety, and challenges integrating into the school environment.

The sensory stimuli we encounter, such as sounds, lights, textures, and smells, may be overwhelming or distressing. This can lead to sensory overload, causing anxiety, meltdowns, and difficulties in focusing and self-regulation. Fidget toys have gained recognition for their therapeutic uses, particularly in managing symptoms associated with autism and ADHD. Golden Care Therapy in New York explains how:

Managing Symptoms: Managing symptoms such as sensory overload, anxiety, and difficulty focusing can be a daily challenge. Fidget toys offer a helpful tool to address these symptoms and promote self-regulation. By providing sensory stimulation, fidget toys allow individuals with autism to engage with their senses and receive feedback to their sensory systems. This can help them regulate their sensory needs and find a sense of calmness and focus. The repetitive movements and tactile sensations offered by fidget toys can help to channel their energy and reduce anxiety. Fidgeting can strike the perfect balance between boredom and sensory overload, providing low-level stimulation that keeps the brain active without overwhelming it. This, in turn, may benefit memory, focus, and overall cognitive function.

Balancing Stimulation for Autism: Autism is often characterized by atypical sensory processing, where individuals may be either hypo or hypersensitive to sensory input. Fidget toys can play a crucial role in balancing sensory stimulation for individuals with autism. For individuals who are hyposensitive, fidget toys provide additional sensory input that helps to increase their overall level of arousal and engagement. By engaging with fidget toys, these individuals can experience increased focus, alertness, and improved sensory processing. On the other hand, individuals who are hypersensitive may find certain sensory experiences overwhelming and distressing. Fidget toys can act as a form of desensitization, gradually introducing sensory input in a controlled and manageable way. Over time, exposure to fidget toys can help individuals with hypersensitivity become more comfortable and less reactive to various sensory stimuli in their environment.

Fidgeting vs. Stimming

While fidgeting is generally not intense or overly repetitive, stimming is typically more intense, repetitive and in the eyes of neurotypical society may be perceived as “atypical” according to Kin Therapy in Seattle.

Stimming has historically been associated with autism, and describes behaviours that autistic people themselves qualify as a physiological need, rather than a way of regulating anxiety or relieving stress. Stimming can look like making repetitive sounds, flapping hands, spinning/twirling/swinging, rocking back and forth, examining an object intensely through touch, listening to a specific song on repeat for hours, etc.

The purpose of fidgeting is to relieve anxiety and stress, regulate your nervous system and help focus on the needed task. By increasing physiological stimuli, attention can be more easily channelled into desired form. Unlike fidgeting, stimming is done for a wide variety of purposes: physiological and neurobiological regulation, as an expression of excitement and joy, as a way to regulate overwhelming sensations/emotions and as a way to direct attention to a desired place. Stimming encompasses many stimuli: visual, tactile, auditory, olfactory, etc.

Why adults should also fidget

Brief diversions may actually help people concentrate and improve their performance on more important tasks, says Alejandro Lleras, who wrote a study on the topic for the journal Cognition. Lleras works at the University of Illinois's Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology in Urbana. His research seems to contradict long-standing theories that attention is a finite resource that runs out after a lengthy period of focus. Attention is more like a gas tank that refills during short breaks from the task at hand, according to Lleras' study.

Lleras based his theory on the idea that our senses become used to stimulus. Take a room that smells strongly of coffee. If you stay in the room all day, the scent goes away because the brain is trained to respond to differences and not constants in the environment. The same can be true of the thought process. Sustained attention to a thought can cause that thought to disappear. But if you are given something else to think about, the original thought will seem fresh when you return to it.

According to Options Wellbeing, some of the advantages of fidgeting for adults are:

1. Enhanced Focus: Contrary to what you might think, fidgeting can actually improve focus for many individuals. By providing a secondary, low-energy task, fidget toys can help channel excess mental energy, allowing your mind to stay engaged in the primary task at hand. It’s like giving your brain a gentle workout, helping you concentrate better.

2. Boosted Creativity: Engaging with a fidget toy can activate different areas of your brain, stimulating creativity and problem-solving skills. It’s like a mini mental workout that can lead to innovative ideas and fresh perspectives on the challenges you face.

3. Improved Memory: Certain fidget toys, like stress balls or textured items, can stimulate sensory receptors in your hands. This tactile input can enhance memory retention and information processing, making it a great tool for learning or remembering important details.

4. Subtle Energy Outlet: Fidget toys for adults offer a discreet way to expend extra energy, especially for those of us who may have a hard time sitting still. Instead of distracting movements or restless behaviours, you can quietly engage with your fidget toy, keeping yourself in a relaxed and focused state.

If you want to learn more, you can also read the 2013 study,  The Rise of Sensory Fidget Toys: Origins, Psychological Principles, and Their Role in Stress Relief and Mental Health.

Fidget toys can be a valuable tool for managing stress and anxiety for autistic adults as well. From calming tactile sensations to engaging visual effects, the right fidget toy can provide comfort, focus, and a sense of calm.

With so many options available, there’s a perfect fit for every need and preference. Explore the possibilities and discover how these simple tools can make a big difference in daily life. Whether it is our extensive range of of Fidget Rings or our Metal Fidgets for the professional fidgeters, there is no reason why adults can't also have fidget toys.