Recently， a fidget toy called “Tangle” has become popular on social media. Many netizens have shared their experiences: “As someone with poor focus， I managed to be immersed for 6 hours while working and fidgeting with this toy!” or “I initially got it as a stress-relief toy， but was surprised by its significant effect on improving attention.” Some viral short videos even claim this toy can “solve parents’ woes of dealing with ADHD.” So， does this hand-held toy truly have the effect of improving concentration or even treating ADHD? Let’s delve into it today.
Left image: A Tangle toy after prolonged use may change color and its resistance will decrease， which netizens refer to as “dead”.
Does this toy truly help improve concentration?
The answer is: It can be played with， and it can be helpful.
Many people adopt habits to enhance their focus during study or work， such as pen-spinning or listening to white noise. In essence， these fidget toys serve a similar purpose. For instance， research indicates that white noise of appropriate intensity can improve learning outcomes in healthy adults. Furthermore， it can enhance memory in children with attention difficulties (though not specifically those with ADHD) to a certain extent.
Psychologists explain this phenomenon through the Optimal Arousal Theory. This theory posits that individuals have an optimal arousal range. When the intensity of external stimuli effectively regulates an individual’s neural activation level within this range， their emotional experience is most positive， and their task performance is at its best. Conversely， stimuli that are too low or too high can lead to boredom or anxiety and diminish behavioral performance.
Therefore， if you find your current work monotonous， fidgeting with a toy can be quite beneficial. It increases sensory stimulation， thereby boosting the brain’s neural activation levels， which can lead to improved focus.
Additionally， the subjective experience of enhanced focus or stress relief from using such toys might be attributed to the placebo effect. This refers to the phenomenon where individuals experience symptom improvement， either subjectively or objectively， after receiving an inert or ineffective treatment (a placebo)， due to their psychological expectations or beliefs. For example， if a doctor gives you a bottle of pills and tells you they will alleviate pain， and you trust the doctor， you might feel your pain lessen even if the pills are just harmless starch.
While the placebo effect is fundamentally a psychological phenomenon， recent research suggests it can exert tangible effects on individuals at both neural and physiological levels， such as promoting the release of natural painkillers or reducing activation in brain regions associated with emotions.
However， don’t expect it to treat ADHD!
Since these toys do seem to have some effect on improving concentration， can they truly treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? In fact， in the clinical research and educational intervention for ADHD， hand-held toys like “Tangle” are not a new invention.
Similar products have existed for decades， generally categorized as “fidget tools.” These are tools designed to help manage restlessness in individuals with ADHD and can also be termed “sensory regulation tools.”
These tools come in various forms， such as the fidget spinners that were popular a few years ago， resistance bands that can be attached to chair legs， and various small objects that can be squeezed or twisted. Their common characteristic is that they allow users to perform repetitive， small-amplitude movements with their hands or legs while engaging in a target task.
The underlying psychological hypothesis behind the design of such tools is the State Regulation Deficit Model of ADHD. This model suggests that individuals with ADHD have deficits in regulating their neural arousal levels， often finding themselves in an under-aroused state， which leads to frequent attentional lapses. The hyperactivity often observed in individuals with ADHD is hypothesized to be a compensatory mechanism， where more frequent physical activity helps them achieve a higher state of arousal， facilitating better concentration for cognitive tasks.
Consequently， the inventors of these tools believed that by providing a safe， controllable， and unobtrusive way to increase physical movement， they could potentially improve the arousal levels of children with ADHD， thereby enhancing their classroom learning performance.
But， is this truly effective? A study published in “Contemporary Educational Psychology” in 2023 conducted experiments in real classroom settings in two primary schools in Belgium. The study involved 233 children aged 7-11， six of whom had diagnosed ADHD. Each child completed mathematics and listening comprehension tasks under three conditions: without any tools， with a fidget spinner， and with resistance bands.
The results showed a significant decline in children’s performance on both math and listening tasks when using the tools. For children with ADHD， only those with more severe symptoms demonstrated a slight improvement when using resistance bands; under other conditions， these tools had a negative impact.
Another study published in the “Journal of Attention Disorders” reached similar conclusions. Researchers involved in a summer treatment program for children with ADHD selected 48 participants and allowed them to freely use fidget spinners in the classroom. The findings revealed that this， in fact， exacerbated their attention-deficit symptoms.
In other words， these sensory regulation tools might function more like toys. While they may have some individual benefits， overall， they do not demonstrably improve concentration and could potentially lead to a decline in cognitive performance for individuals with ADHD.
In conclusion， if you enjoy these types of toys， feel free to use them， as they can indeed have some benefits. However， it’s important to note that other activities can achieve similar effects; playing with stress balls or listening to white noise through headphones can be equally beneficial. You can choose what aligns with your personal preferences and habits.
For individuals diagnosed with ADHD， these methods should not be considered a substitute for evidence-based interventions and medication. Furthermore， it is strongly discouraged to rely on them as primary treatment strategies.
