The Science Behind Fidgeting

Everyone fidgets—some of us more than others, but what exactly is it and why do we do it? Fidgeting is a natural response caused by nerves or boredom that helps you self-regulate. Fidgeting can manifest in a number of ways, such as foot tapping, finger drumming, twirling your hair, or anxiously bouncing your legs. Fidgeting can also look like chewing on a pencil in class or incessantly clicking your pen at work. 

Fidgeting typically occurs as a result of being off-kilter in some way. For instance, if you’re stressed, anxious, and amped-up, or bored and understimulated, you might suddenly catch yourself fidgeting. This is because fidgeting can aid in decreasing excessive nervous energy, and also provide sensory stimulation if you’re unfocused or feel impatient (during, say, a funky date). 

Studies have shown that the act of fidgeting can help enhance concentration, improve focus, and move you from a state of inattentiveness to alertness. Perhaps you can think of fidgeting as snapping your fingers to proverbially ‘snap yourself back into reality,’ or as a mechanism that sends a signal from your body, relaying the message to your brain: “wake up, stay engaged, focus!” 

There are different types of fidgeting, including anxious fidgeting and boredom fidgeting. Anxious fidgeting occurs due to elevated stress levels in the body and helps decrease the stress hormone called cortisol.. Boredom fidgeting typically occurs to redirect your attention and give your brain something to focus on. Interestingly, fidgeting has also been shown to promote dopamine, the ”feel-good hormone” which enhances mental focus, happiness, and calm. 

With all the sprouting research and public interest in fidgeting, it is no surprise that fidget toys keep popping up on the market. Pop-Its, the latest craze, are irresistibly-poke able silicone bubbles that come in a plethora of colors and shapes—from flowers, sea creatures, and birthday cakes, to dinosaurs, avocados, and airplanes. This sensory toy seems to have landed everywhere—from store shelves at supermarkets and gas stations, onto work desks, into kids’ backpacks and school supplies, and into the hands of many fidgeters. 

While research is still warranted on what exactly it is that makes this sensory item so POP-ular ( couldn’t resist the pun), many individuals have self-reported that Pop-Its effectively distract them from biting their nails and helps channel their nervous energy. 

All in all, whether you opt for fidget toys such as Pop-Its, fidget spinners, therapy putty, or the more, shall I say, “primitive” form of fidgeting ( i.e. swinging your legs, clicking your tongue), doing so may help you self-regulate. 

Just as the human body constantly seeks to maintain homeostasis, or regulate the delicate balance of the internal/ external environment, fidgeting helps guide us back to center. Wherever you may fall on the spectrum, be it an excess of nerves or the lull of boredom, balance is what the mind and body aims for. At the end of the day, perhaps it is not as much about what you fidget with, but rather, whatever helps guide you back to a state of harmony. Indeed, balance is key.