Stuffed Animals are Healthy in Stressful Times.
That’s right… Petting a stuffed animal can reduce the adverse effects of loneliness and exclusion. And today, when we’re feeling more lonely than ever before, the stigma of stuffed animals may need to give way to the benefits of owning one. In short… stuffed animals are healthy for those of us who lack other options.
In our intricate world of online human interaction, we’re all too familiar with the sharp sting of social exclusion and biting remarks. As we immerse ourselves in online communities, feelings of loneliness inevitably intensify. Cues don’t exist here. And we often read what we want to hear. Occasionally, a clever remark may be misread and criticized by an onslaught of anonymous readers. And without cues, the sense of community we find online often falls short of the connections we crave.
We often feel more lonely than ever before, while being the most connected we have ever been. And the World Happiness Report is showing a sharp decline in our happiness in turn. But we can’t just… get rid of the internet! So how can we reduce these pervasive feelings of loneliness and exclusion? According to researchers— stuffed animals. What?
The Study
Researchers Kenneth Tai, Sue Zheng, and Jayanth Narayanan, from the National University of Singapore explore the loneliness-mitigating effects of stuffed toys in their paper, “Touching a Teddy Bear Mitigates Negative Effects of Social Exclusion to Increase Prosocial Behavior.” They drew from previous studies which highlighted the health benefits of petting dogs (Teo et al., 2022) or the pain-reducing effects of tactile stimulation (So, Jiang, & Qin, 2008). And they asked the question; can touching stuffed animals have the same positive effects?
Their methodology involved inducing feelings of loneliness. By manipulating results, they were able to make participants worry about current or future exclusion. In one test, they had the participants fill out a questionnaire. Then, they gave feedback, such as “You are the type who will end up alone later in life.”
In the second test, they asked subjects to select other participants to work with. Then, they told the induced loneliness group, ’‘I hate to tell you this, but no one chose you as someone they wanted to work with.’’ Meanwhile, participants in the inclusion group were told, ‘‘I have good news for you—everyone chose you as someone they’d like to work with.”
You are the type who will end up alone later in life.
Response meant to induce a feeling of exclusion in participants.
I hate to tell you this, but no one chose you as someone they wanted to work with.
Response meant to induce a feeling of exclusion in participants.
Note: This methodology is generally condemned in fields such as Behavioral Economics.
Subsequently, the researchers tasked the subjects with reviewing a teddy bear. Some participants were allowed to touch and feel the teddy bears during this evaluation. Others were not allowed to do so, with the teddy bear left just out of reach. They told the non-touch group that they were not permitted to touch the stuffed animal, and no subject in this group violated this rule.
Testing the pro-social behavior after feeling a stuffed animal.
Finally, the researchers tested the participants in two separate experiments. In the first experiment, they analyzed how many participants would opt-in to future voluntary experiments. In the second, they analyzed their decision making process in a “Dictator Game.”
What is the Dictator Game?
Not as much a game, as a test.
The Dictator Game is an experiment that tests generosity between participants. One player is allocated $10.00, and chooses which amount of money to forfeit to a second player who is given $0.00 otherwise.
Tai, Zheng, and Narayanan found exciting results for all of us plushie lovers; the excluded participants demonstrated significantly more pro-social behavior after feeling a stuffed animal. With a P value p <0.01, the excluded participants decided to volunteer for future experiments at a much higher rate when allowed to feel a stuffed animal.
Addressing potential skepticism, the researchers included a second segment in their study; using the “Dictator Game.” In this experiment, they discovered similarly significant results. Excluded participants who had the chance to touch a stuffed animal were notably more generous, donating a median of $4.50 out of their allotted $10.00. In contrast, excluded subjects who didn’t have such an opportunity donated a median of $3.33 out of $10.00. This finding yielded a significant effect with a p-value of 0.04 across the 95 participants.
These results follow other studies on stuffed animals, such as Avi Sadeh et al’s 2008 paper in NIH, “Young children’s reactions to war-related stress: a survey and assessment of an innovative intervention,” which found a resoundingly positive effect of caring for stuffed animals on the psyche of children with war-related stress. By having a stuffed animal of a dog, these children made remarkable progress in recovering from PTSD.
There is substantial research into how stuffed animals are healthy for those of us in transitional periods of our lives, as well. Whether it is for children of divorce, or a move to college, it is important to treat yourself to something that will make you more comfortable.
What is a P-value?
A test of significance.
The P-Value here is the possibility of finding results equal to or greater than the difference achieved. When Dr. Tai, Zheng, and Narayanan found that we have a p value of p<0.01 with regards to volunteering for future experiments, it means that there is less than a 1% chance for these results to have been achieved by pure random chance. Anything below p=0.05 is deemed significant in the world of science.
In Conclusion…
Tai, Zheng, and Narayanan found significant benefits to having and touching stuffed animals. The act of touching a soft toy appears to offer a tangible sense of comfort and connection, mitigating the negative impact of social rejection. Stuffed animals are healthy methods of reducing your feelings of loneliness, on top of their importance as transitional objects.
As we continue to navigate the complexities of our increasingly virtual interactions, let us not overlook the significance of simple gestures of comfort and connection. Reaching for a teddy bear in times of need, or giving a gift in times of trouble can make a lot of difference. In the vast expanse of the internet, amidst the sea of pixels and avatars, a soft touch can still offer solace and remind us of our shared humanity.
Further Reading on why Stuffed Animals are Healthy:
When researching this area, I found some interesting papers to cite beyond what is mentioned here. Another researcher, Dr. M. Rose Barlow has closely examined stuffed animals as a method of coping with traumatic situations. She found that stuffed animals can serve as a potential source of support for both children and adults, in her paper “Childhood Neglect, Attachment to Companion Animals, and Stuffed Animals as Attachment Objects in Women and Men.” Furthermore, I implore you to read “Young Children’s Reaction to War-Related Stress: a Survey and Assessment of an Innovative Intervention,” as it is commonly cited as one of the most significant papers regarding how stuffed animals can aid people who are dealing with severe trauma.
It is an exceedingly interesting area to follow, and it may in-part explain how we have seen such a large boom in toy purchases from adults post pandemic. Stuffed toys are a good form of support, and I think that more of us need support than ever before.
Michael Kuroda,
MSc Behavioral Economics.