Why is playing with plush toy animals a stress reliever?

Hello everyone,

My today's topic is on Stress!! A very important thing which everyone has at a very great level.

Have you ever wondered since the day we came to know that we are adults or grownups, our stress levels have increased compared to our childhood.

I really feel young adults and grown-ups have many stresses in their life, and it seems like the older you get, the more stress you have. With this stress our life seems to be in a great mess and we always remain tensed. We look for things that might lower our stress and help us calm down.

When we were young and small, we had things (such as teddy bear, tokens, blankets or even a favorite pillow) which were precious to us and always provided comfort in our times of sorrow. Every adult or grownup had some things that comforted them in situations like this. However, as we grow old we keep moving away from them. It is a trend society has adopted as you grow older, but why? If those objects gave you comfort when you were younger, shouldn’t they do the same when you’re older? Reminiscing and recalling those childhood memories with your comfort item can relieve your stresses of adulthood temporarily.

For example, there are some business travelers who bring comfort items with them on their trip, such as a favorite childhood T-shirt or a token they’ve held onto since childhood. These items are also used in times of emergency to help calm people.

In an informal survey by Psychologist Christopher Peterson, asked how many students brought stuffed animals with them to college. About 250 students said they had a stuffed animal with them in college. While the majority of the audience was female, the males who answered were not ashamed or embarrassed to admit to bringing a stuffed animal with them.

The reason why teddy bears are such great comfort items is because they touch upon some of our core psychological attachments:

1.) They are symbols of child-like innocence, makes us reminisce about when you got the bear and who gave it to you. Usually, your mother or father.

2.) A soft touch and something plush is extremely powerful. That action and feeling triggers a sigh of relief that helps lower your blood pressure, release calming endorphins in your body and give a moment of peace for the individual.

Hope you all were relieved a little by the memory of your childhood comforting thing.

Mine was a Penguin Soft toy which I used to carry at every place where I would go.

What was yours? Share in comments.