At this point, you’ve probably heard of the fidget spinner. But you might not have heard that it can purportedly help you learn better, concentrate and Uh, what is the word —focus!

Let’s looks into the supposed benefits of the fidget spinner and find out whether or not they are overhyped or useful.

Though they were invented long long ago in the 1990s, fidget spinners seem to have popped out of nowhere. Try looking up Google searches for fidget spinner in 2016 and you’ll see they are almost non-existent. Fast-forward to now and they are the top-selling item under toys and games on Amazon. It’s the trendiest toy of its kind in a long time. But is it just a toy?

Various models purport a variety of benefits including help with concentration relief from anxiety and even a reduction in the symptoms of autism. So if these fidget spinners are as beneficial as they say, why are they being banned in classrooms all across the United States? Can they really help your brain the way they say they can?

First, let’s examine why we fidget. Surprisingly, this is a hard thing to do because fidgeting behavior is largely unstudied. What we can say is that several studies have reported benefits for fidgeting behavior in cases where subjects suffer from ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

ADHD is a brain disorder marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention or hyperactivity that interferes with functioning or learning. But there is evidence that excess gross motor activity or hyperactivity is actually a mechanism that helps those with ADHD concentrate. This hyperactivity in early childhood is usually an indicator of ADHD and until recently fidgety or reckless behavior has been viewed as an impediment to concentration and working memory. Working memory is the brain’s ability to process information in the moment. The more efficient our brains working memory is operating the better we learn.

In studies conducted where subjects with ADHD were allowed to engage in hyperactive behavior, their working memory visibly improved. That is, when they were allowed to fidget and they were better at learning.

These studies proposed an interesting theory: Hyperactive tendencies are a way for people with ADHD to cope with their disorder and to concentrate better. Through fidgeting, you occupy the part of your brain that is driving you to distraction. Engaging in a mundane and thoughtless task like tapping your foot or fidgeting with a paper clip satisfies this need for diversion without actually distracting the part of your brain that is trying to pay attention. Thus allowing you to concentrate.

One largely accepted theory is that humans, ADHD prone or not, cannot devote 100% of their working memory to a single task. This actually has to do with the way our brains evolved.

Imagine being a caveman. You couldn’t really afford to focus all your attention on bashing rocks together, as some giant beast could be lurking behind you about to bite your head off. In other words, being constantly distracted is a survival technique. It keeps us alert and safe. We wouldn’t want to get rid of it or turn it off – not entirely. But we would want to occupy it, from time to time, if we really needed to concentrate on something – say building a fire.

Today, our environment is not filled with immediate threats. So we occupy our hyperactive brain with some simple thoughtless tasks, like tapping our foot. In other words, we fidget.

Some have theorized there is a link between the use of motor skills and learning. A study done recently found that students absorb information better while taking notes by hand, rather than using a laptop. And some fidget spinner companies have jumped on the study and used it as evidence that the use of motor skills enhances the learning process. And what could be better at utilizing your motor skills than a brand spanking new fidget spinner?

But this idea that motor skills lead to better learning may not be correct. What researchers did find is that, while those students taking notes with a pencil and paper took far less notes than the students using laptops, the pencil and paper group were far better at understanding and conceptually applying the material being taught. However much to the chagrin of fidget spinner distributors everywhere, research has concluded that this wasn’t because the students were using their hands or utilizing more of their motor functions.

Instead, they reason, that the pen and paper group had to process the information as it was being given to them, so they could summarize it. Having to condense the material forced the students to absorb the information. And they were more likely to retain it.

But the question remains: Do fidget spinners actually help us learn? after all, there are benefits to fidgeting and concentration is one of them. So could fidget spinners help those with certain disorders learn better?

The answer is probably not. While fidgeting may help people with certain problems to soar, and maybe an evolutionary necessity, in the general population, you’re probably much better off with a pencil or tapping your foot than a fidget spanner.

The thing is, in almost every study that touts the benefits of what we define as fidgeting, that fidgeting behavior is nowhere near as complicated as the operation of a fidget spinner.

While a fidget spinner might seem pretty simple, it requires hand-eye coordination. Which means it’s a visual distraction. You have to balance it, you have to hold on to it and you have to keep it spinning. Ultimately this demands too much of your attention. And you were distracted from what you’re actually trying to pay attention to. Remember the whole theory behind the benefits of fidgeting depends on being able to free up your brain, so you can focus on a subject and learn.

If you have to consciously think about the fidgeting, then all the benefits are lost.

Of course, if you just want a fun toy or need to practice this kind of eye-hand coordination in a therapeutic sort of way, then clicking to buy that 2017 titanium alloy triangle Rainbow fidget spinner, makes sense. To use fidgeting as a way to concentrate in class, you might better off just buying some pencils or a rock.

There maybe some whose children have been markedly helped by fidget spinners – and that is great. This look at the subject is not meant to discourage those who might be so helped.

As found on Youtube

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