It is hard not to notice the fact that fidget toys are all the rage at the moment, they are absolutely everywhere, on the high street, on the internet and more than likely you or a family member own one, or have at least seen played with one. History tells us that fads do not need to make sense to become prevalent, I mean do you remember how popular the Crazy Frog was? Fidget toys on the other hand at least have an underlying justification for their existence.
Fidgeting is socially related to nervousness, impatient tendencies, and possibly lack of interest. Several times in the day you will find yourself fidgeting for absolutely no reason, in fact people have been observed fidgeting since the early 1800’s, so it’s not like it is a modern concept. There is some research to show that fidgeting is a technique the brain uses to keep itself occupied or interested in something, it encourages the brain’s cognitive functioning to kick start through the movement of fingers and/or feet. This theory is similar to the way computers work, is known as the cognitive load theory, that exclaims a brain finds it difficult to take in a lot of information at the same time, and by fidgeting it maintains focus. Although the theory seems completely feasible, apparently it is not the applicable across the board, in fact some research shows that men tend to fidget twice as much as women do, not only this but men’s concentration benefits more from fidgeting than women’s do also.
In a study into the condition ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) it actually showed that young boys with this disorder performed better in memory tests if they were allowed to swivel in their chair. As a matter of a fact the ever so popular fidget spinner was initially created as a soothing toy that could help children release pent up energy. Catherine Hettinger originally applied to patent her fidget spinning device in 1993, and pitched it to several toy companies. After Hasbro decided not to pursue the idea, Catherine let the patent lapse in 2005. From this point it is unclear where the resurgence in the fidget spinner came from, but it got to the point that in December 2016 it was identified as the must have office toy for 2016.
In fairness it wasn’t the mass adoption of spinners and cubes that kick-started fidgeting, if you’ve ever clicked and unclicked a pen repeatedly, or fiddled with a paperclip, even throw a stress ball from hand to hand, these are all fidget items, saying this, these products really haven’t hindered the popularity of the latest fidget mania. With all this popularity, as you can imagine there are several more fidget devices in the pipeline, potentially within a few years fidget can become a whole toy category of its own.