We live in a self-help society. Books, videos, websites, and podcasts that promise beneficial advice and self-help methods and philosophies flood our media. In fact, according to Market Research, the self-improvement market was worth $9.9 billion back in 2016 and was estimated to grow to $13.2 billion by 2022.
Along with books, apps, videos, programs, and personal coaching, we are prone to buying equipment and devices that will improve our health, both physical and mental.
This is one of the reasons, many believe, for the growing popularity of fidget toys.
Fidget Toys: Tools for Better Mental Health?
Remember spinners?
Sure, stress balls and the Rubik’s Cube have been around since the 1970s. And people have been twirling pens and pencils, making shapes with paper clips, and fidgeting with various small items as long as anyone can remember. However, certain toys specifically designed for “fidgeting” have seemed to take the world by storm on occasion.
Spinners are one of these sensations. According to one article,
“Catherine Hettinger is often credited as the inventor of fidget spinners. She came out with the idea for the spinning toy back in 1993, but her original prototype was rejected by Hasbro. Fast forward to 2013 and Hettinger’s patent expired. This led a man named Scott McCoskery to come out with the Torqbar, a toy that served as the early version of the fidget spinner.
Today, there’s no one holder of the fidget spinner patent. This means that anyone and everyone can make their own version without any legal repercussions. The fidget spinner became a national sensation in 2017, starring in online videos and gaining a lot of media attention on local news stations.”
And, while it may seem like these often annoying toys were around for years, they were, in fact, only popular for about four months during the middle of 2017. While you can still find them, scores of other increasingly popular fidget toys are now taking over the market.
But are they really beneficial beyond being something to fidget with?
An article in Scientific American from May 2017 noted that,
“Fidget items do seem to serve a valuable purpose. There’s still science to be done, but they’re not just a fad. They embody an enduring phenomenon that nearly everyone uses at some point – just watch your own behavior when doing desk work or sitting in meetings.”
And Forbes magazine published a piece reporting that fidget toys can help in several ways,
“Designed to increase focus while alleviating other, more distracting habits, fidget toys give your hands something to do so the mind can effectively redirect its attention, and when needed, relax.
Individuals with anxiety may fidget or make small movements when they are feeling anxious, restless, impatient or nervous. Fidget toys give these movements an outlet, which can help calm a person’s nerves, relieve stress and serve as a distraction in an overstimulating environment. The toy pulls the user away from any particular stressful thought or situation and provides a temporary form of relief.”
Subsequent research over the recent years have demonstrated that there are at least five significant benefits that can be derived from playing with fidget toys – whether you’re five or 65.
Five Ways Fidget Toys Make Life Better
Aside from being fun and providing a subtle sensation of calm, fidget toys can provide several emotional and mental health benefits.
Here are five of them that have been supported by several studies and scientific research:
- They help to reduce stress and anxiety
- They can help induce relaxation
- They can improve focus and concentration
- They serve to alleviate distracting habits
- They can help stave off boredom
And one of the more interesting benefits claimed by some researchers has to do with resisting cravings for food or smoking.
To understand how to fight cravings with fidgeting, it’s important to understand the role of boredom and eating, for example. Diet experts and others have long understood that one of the drivers of overeating is being bored. There is a well-documented psychology behind this, and it plays a part in our urge to smoke, as well.
So, by making the intentional choice to grab a favorite fidget toy instead of a cookie or cigarette, we can help ourselves fight those cravings when we’re bored.
And there are plenty of different kinds of fidget toys to choose from!
Fidget Toys for Everyone and Every Type of Fidgeting
Along with the once hugely popular spinner toys, the latest craze is currently the pop it fidget toy.
This rubbery, bumpy, toy comes in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes, and colors, but shares one common feature: the addictive rows of flexible bumps that can be “popped” repeatedly. And there’s more – much more!
At Fundemonium, for example, you can find a wide selection of fidget toys such as various hi-bounce stress balls, squishy stress balls, squeezy pig toys, and micro-bead-filled IsoFlex balls. And, since different people like different types of fidgeting, investing in a fidget toy pack can be a smart move.
With a fidget pack, you can find which type of “fidgeting” suits you for different purposes, for example.
Fidget toys do not always fit neatly in a set category of “fidget toys,” and there are products such as fidget cubes, fidget rings, metal and plastic mini-puzzles objects such as the metallic Tangle Jr. and its counterpart, the classic Tangle Jr.
Squishy, squeezy fidget toys can run the gamut of cute animals like the Unicorn Squeezy Peak Hatchers to more grotesque favorites like an elastic ball in the shape of a human brain or a realistic and soft stretchy human heart!
Fundemonium and Fidget Toys for More Focus and Less Stress
Any time of year is a great time for stocking up on stress-relievers, boredom-busters, and craving-fighters otherwise known as fidget toys!
Of course, at Fundemonium you will find so much more since we are not “just a toy store.”
In fact, we like to think of ourselves as “a family fun experience” – a place where families and kids of all ages can meet and play. We are a favorite, local destination where you’re sure to find something to entertain and occupy any child and all children of any age.
Simply put, Fundemonium is a safe and friendly place where adults and children can enjoy creative fun.
Along with your favorite fidget toys and other fun products, we also stock a huge selection of games, models, and hobby products, as well as all sorts of arts and crafts projects, supplies, and materials for the entire family.
And remember: our friendly and knowledgeable staff makes it their business to help you have fun.
At Fundemonium, we always do our best to respond quickly to your questions and website inquiries about our toys and other products. And you can also find answers to your questions by calling us at (707) 540-0701.
So, if you’d like to speak to one of our Fundemoniacs, come on in or just give us a call during our business hours.
Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you soon!
