Does this raved 'stress relief accessory' work or is it just hype?

olamide olarewaju

August 18, 2017 12:19 PM

Do you own a Fidget Spinner? Why? Does this work for you or did decide to join the cool kids spinning something?

They are touted as ones that help people with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)/ who fidget, who are psychologically stressed and those who have trouble focusing amongst others (no scientific study has revealed yet if it has helped these conditions).

My brother handed me this red and black one recently (pictured above) when he came to Nigeria and made me promise to always use it, in his words; "You need it, a lot of people need it"!

I took one look at the 'toy' and said OK (though a little fascinated by it after the initial spin that lasted for about 10 minutes continuously, I must confess).

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The fidget spinner is a low tech kinda toy that features a ball-bearing right in the centre of a multi-lobed flat structure. It's made from plastic, metal and so on crafted to spin along its axis with minimal effort.

You are supposed to hold the centre of the pad,then try to spin it (it requires minimal effort to) and the 'magic' is supposed to happen.

The first time I used the fidget spinner, I won't lie I felt it worked! What it did for me was make me 'calm' enough to concentrate on whatever I was on at that time and using it afterwards well pretty much felt nothing.

But then just like every activity that sort of takes your attention for a bit that's exactly what this low-tech toy does, though some people may be fascinated by the 'spinning' especially kids I think that's only natural.

Yes it retains your attention for a bit but after the initial spin I doubt it comes effective anymore so for it working for all sorts of conditions? Yeah that's a hype, in my own opinion completely overated. While movement studies reveal is a welcome help for people with ADHD, the fidget spinner doesn't require that much movement to make it effective.

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I asked a few 'spinners' what they thought about this:

"A fidget spinner is effectively calming. If you happen to work in a fast paced, tension and manic office, a fidget spinner can help reduce stress, make you chill and relax. It's more than a toy for kids. It is a therapeutic gadget" Ayomide Tayo shares about the fidget spinner.

"I recorded my weekly podcast, The Sound, which is a show about music. While holding the mic with one hand, I kept spinning the fidget spinner on the other.

Did it work? I don’t know. All I could understand is that it occupied my mind in a happy way, and so I experienced a high level of cognitive function and focus throughout the recording. It almost felt like I was doing something I genuinely enjoyed" Joey Akan shares his experience about the fidget spinner.

A lot of people admit the fidget spinner help them focus a bit more and tend to have a calming event while a lot still think it's all in the mind, some sort of placebo.

olamide olarewaju