Why Cant Some People Stop Fidgeting

The Science of Fidgeting

Many of us have been told to stop fidgeting at some point in our lives, whether by friends, teachers, or even our parents. However, fidgeting is not a new phenomenon. Psychologist Sir Francis Galton noticed it as far back as 1885 when he observed elderly Victorian lecture-goers swaying from side to side at about one fidget a minute. He noticed that when the audience’s attention was aroused, their fidgeting would lessen. In his paper, “The Measure of Fidget,” published in Nature, Galton determined that people must fidget out of boredom. This was long before discussions about hyperactivity or sugar, or before the television was blamed for ruining our attention span.

Fidgeting: A Part of Human Nature

Fidgeting seems to be part of human nature. The dictionary defines fidgeting as “small movements, especially of the hands and feet, caused by nervousness or impatience,” but science has another explanation; it’s a way to keep our brains active and focused. When our brains are stressed, we don’t pay as close attention, and we don’t learn as much. Cognitive Load Theory likens the brain to a CPU; when too much is going on, the brain can’t focus. To offload some of that stress, the brain might trigger our fidgeting. Lower stress is highly associated with better learning and memory performance, so fidgeting can help us learn.

Gender Differences in Fidgeting

However, the benefits of fidgeting seem to differ between genders. For some reason, men fidget twice as often as women. A 2005 study from the University of Hertfordshire found that fidgeting can reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which should lower stress. However, this benefit seems to fall on men who fidget. The fidgeting men they tested performed better on cognitive tests and had lower stress, but fidgeting women did not experience the same benefits.

Fidgeting and ADHD

Another study with ADHD kids further complicates the understanding of fidgeting, as it doesn’t help everyone all the time. A study in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology assessed the working memory of young fidgeting boys. When ADHD kids were put in a swivel chair and allowed to spin, they performed better on memory tests. However, kids without ADHD performed worse when they were allowed to spin, and better when they stayed still. It would seem, though fidgeting may lower stress and help learning, there’s a level where the benefits to our attention and learning disappear.

Fidgeting and Health

Despite these complexities, fidgeting does seem to have some health benefits. A study from September 2015 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine looked at 13,000 UK women 12 years apart and found that adults who fidgeted also burned calories. Their results found fidgeters had “better health outcomes,” than their still counterparts. Another study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found fidgeting can burn up to 144 calories a day! Some researchers believe fidgeting seems to be an adaptation to our more sedentary lifestyle.

Fidgeting and Boredom

But a study in Frontiers in Psychology looking at memory retention of lectures and fidgeting found almost the same as Galton in 1885. If you track the number of fidgets per minute, it’s a good indicator of audience boredom. Fidgeting seems to be a representation of our animal brains working hard to keep on task and learning. It can be irksome, but as long as it’s not distracting to others, it’s not necessarily bad, and is (at least) burning some calories!

Conclusion

So, whether you’re a pen clicker, leg shaker, finger tapper, or nail biter, your fidgeting might be more beneficial than you think. It might be annoying to some, but sitting is actually more harmful. So, keep fidgeting and keep your brain active!