Published on
Updated
Reading 1 min.
in collaboration with
Sabrina Philippe (Psychologist)
Medical validation:
December 24, 2022
For several days, “anxiety rings” have been swarming on Tiktok. What should we think ? Do they really help calm anxiety attacks? Update on the question with Sabrina Philippe, psychologist.
Stone, stuffed animal, keychain… The charms to calm your anxieties are many and varied. The latest? A ring, very popular on Tiktok, supposed to reduce anxiety attacks.
The ring diverts his attention
This anxiety ring or “stress ring“, inspired by the traditions of Tibetan Buddhist meditations and composed of a ring on which there are small pearls that are made to move, would have soothing pseudo virtues.
And on Tiktok, there are many fans: the word “stress ring“has accumulated nearly 9 billion views.
“It’s supposed to help distract you“, explains a user.
Another states that this ring, once placed on the thumb, “was going well“.
In particular, it would avoid tearing the skin around the nails, a frequent consequence in anxious people.
For Internet users, the ring would therefore seem to fulfill its functions rather. But is it a real remedy against stress or a simple gadget?
A “placebo” effect
For Sabrina Phillipe, this is an anchoring technique that is commonly used to relieve anxiety.
“This type of object makes it possible to divert attention: one concentrates on the fact of turning small marbles, which produces the same effect as visualizing a landscape or focusing on one’s breathing. There is also a somewhat “magical” function: the child in us thinks that this object will bring him happiness, that it will protect him from the outside world and from himself. It’s sort of a form of placebo effect.“, admits the psychologist.
Nevertheless, the potential anti-stress effect of this ring does not last long.
“It is a short term effect. If you don’t understand your anxieties, if you don’t make sense of this anxiety and don’t connect it to an inner mechanism, it will be difficult to fight it concretely.“, warns Sabrina Philippe.