It turns out that yes, fidget jewelry can keep your hands happy, as Katherine Isbister, PhD and professor of computational media at the University of California, Santa Cruz puts it. Spending years researching the effectiveness of fidgets, Isbister found that jewelry often came up as one of the responses when asking participants what they fidget with on their own. “It’s a very old practice if you think of mediation beads or rosary beads,” says Isbister. “[Fidget jewelry] is just taking it a step further and being like, well, what repetitive, unconscious sort of play might that piece of jewelry afford? You might turn a ring around your finger already, but the spinning element adds to the interaction.” Isbister also discovered that people usually look for discreet fidgets, whether to avoid distracting others or breaking the social norm of staying still. A huge pro of fidget jewelry is that it easily masks its purpose. In fact, most pieces look like any other ring or necklace, with the exception that they have an intentional component you can spin, twirl, or move up and down. It’s this repetitive, rhythmic interaction that Isbister says can be grounding and help you focus. To find the best fidget for you, she recommends first considering whether you want to be aroused or calmed, as different sensations offer different effects. It’s also good to think about what you already fidget with naturally and if a certain piece of jewelry might feel similar. “If you are bored or tired, people will sometimes seek out something that is prickly or kind of clicky, like a pen that jolts you into a little more awareness,” says Isbister. “If you are anxious or over-stimulated, you might want to feel a smooth and cool surface to calm down.” This mindfulness may be one of the most important parts fidget jewelry can offer, especially as many of us continue to work from home without regular breaks or boundaries. “It’s probably inherently unnatural for us to sit all day long and expect ourselves to have undivided attention, so I think it’s always important to take fidgeting as a sign that you might need a break,” says Isbister. Whether you want to kick a bad habit like me or pick up a new accessory with some soothing benefits, check out our favorite fidget pieces below.
