Recently, many students have been carrying around new types of stimulation-focused toys. After the 2017 era of fidget spinners, these types of toys are making a resurgence. Specifically, students have made stress balls popular again. While they are colorful and fun to use, there is actually also a significant amount of research behind how beneficial they can be.  

Stress balls are usually made out of foam, rubber gel, or silicone. They come in all different shapes and sizes, ranging from animals to foods. They also come in a wide variety of colors. 

The most popular stress ball brands include NeeDohs and RMS USA. NeeDohs are created by Schylling, a manufacturing company, and rose in popularity in the 2010s and 2020s as a type of fidget toy. Social media significantly impacted the brand by making it more known globally. The toys are available in many shapes, but the most popular ones are the cube, raindrops, and gumdrops, and their unique, dough-like texture gives a satisfying squishy feel. 

RMS USA is another squishy toy brand, but they are most popular for their steam dumpling squishies. Tiktok has brought lots of recognition towards the brand because they have different series of mystery dumplings, that come in tye-dyeglitter, rainbow, and more. People have become obsessed with trying to get the special mystery variety, which has gone viral on Tiktok. 

Stress balls can easily fit in people’s hands, and are a non-disruptive way to reduce stress, anxiety, and tensions. This is also why many students bring the toys to class. It can be a stress relieving tool and helps improve focus. It can also help with anger management and fidgeting issues. 

A CHS sophomore, Carys Baudhuin, thinks stress balls can be very useful. 

“I think they can help students focus in class and just having something in their hand to fidget with can help relieve pressure,” said Baudhin. 

Sasha Geller, a CHS sophomore, has collected some NeeDohs over time; “I think they are really fun and satisfying to play with. I like going to stores and looking for new stress balls to add to my collection.” 

There are also physical benefits to stress balls. It can strengthen hand and finger muscles, as well as grip strength. Consistently playing with stress balls can also build endurance in people’s hands. They actually are often used in physical therapy to help recover from arthritis, hand injuries, etc. 

Stress balls are not only fun to play with and collect, but they also offer helpful benefits that most people don’t know about.