Fidgetty?

No Gravatar

You know those overnight sensations that take decades to become so?  Well, that’s what we are going to talk about today.  Moreover, it’s going to involve two things near and dear to my heart- Israel and chemical engineering!

So, back in the 1980s when the Intifada was raging in Israel, this chemical engineer from RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY) was traipsing around.  She saw kids throwing rocks at cops.  And, decided she needed to develop something to divert these young minds from violence.

Anti-Anxiety Spinner

After trying a few concepts (including a “soft rock”- whatever the heck that is), she came up with a spinning toy.  But it took her nearly a decade.  Catherine Hettinger filed for a patent, which was issued in 1997.  However, she never found a commercial partner to market the device.  So, she let the patent lapse (by not paying the required maintenance fees).

And, then in 2014, Scott McCoskery improved on the design concept- making it metal and spinning faster than its predecessor.  Et, voila- the fidget spinner.  Scott developed his Torqbar (that was his name for it) because he was a fidgeter- and needed a politically correct method to deal with his actions.

Except, there’s a completely different reason some of us are using fidget spinners.   To deal with ADHD (attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder).  By flicking, spinning, and repeatedly stopping this gadget, many ADHD sufferers keep their focus.

Some folks are like my mom. She had a lit cigarette in every room of the house.  These folks have spinners in every room of their house.   And, this toy looks like my ceiling fan married my old Norelco electric shaver.  (You know, the one that had three rotating heads.)

The question is why it works   Oh, sure there are theories.  Like using the fidget spinner (and fidgeting) employs parts of our brain that tend to divert our thoughts, distracting our ability to make a clear decision.  (That’s the concept that Drs. Roland Rotz and Sarah Wright espouse in their book- Fidget to Focus .)

Another concept- that standing still or sitting still is absolutely not normal.  Oh, sure, my parents told me to sit still.  Told me to stop shaking my legs.  But, let me tell you that my best ideas come when I am doing something else.  (Call this the Roy Ackerman theory.)

A third explanation (which really means none of them fully satisfy the question) is that fidgeting is a ritual.  The fidgeting offers predictability and structure to our lives.  Like how Orthodox Jews shuckle when they pray.  (Some way from side to side, others twist and turn.)  This is the theory that behavioral scientists, Drs. Francesa Gino and Michael Norton,  proposed in Scientific American.

While there is very little data on the effect of fidget spinners as a coping mechanism, a small study (effected by Drs. Sheryl Stalvey and Heather Brassel ) found the use of stress balls did help sixth graders improve their attention spans. These 29 kids in South Georgia did improve their scholastic achievements; kinesthetic learners were provided more benefits than those of other backgrounds.

Milky Way Fidget Spinner
Cheaper version

It also may work because many folks who manifest ADHD also suffer from anxiety.  And, the motion of the spinner may solve that problem in particular.

But, don’t run out and get just any fidget spinner.  Avoid those manufactured by Bulls-I-Toys.  They have an excess amount of lead.

Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.u

 

 

Last Day of Chanuka
Share this:
Share this page via Email Share this page via Stumble Upon Share this page via Digg this Share this page via Facebook Share this page via Twitter
Share

4 thoughts on “Fidgetty?”

Comments are closed.