Chinese youths opt for pacifiers to relieve stress

THERE is a bizarre stress-relief trend sweeping through China these days – thousands of grownups are relying on pacifiers to mitigate stress symptoms like anxiety and insomnia, the country’s media reported.

From work-related stress and financial burdens like mortgages and car payments, to complex interpersonal relationships, modern life is full of anxiety-inducing problems, but who would have thought that the pacifier could help mitigate these issues?

 Well, according to reports, Chinese adults have, because the popularity of adult pacifiers has turned into a full-blown craze in the Asian country, with thousands of young men and ladies spending between 10 and 500 yuan ($1.40 and $70) on plastic pacifiers.

They are often sold as stress and anxiety relief products or sleep aids, and for many people overwhelmed by daily life, Chinese e-commerce platforms are full of offers for adult pacifiers, and the most successful stores sell thousands of them every month.

Chinese psychologists have also explained the surging popularity of adult pacifiers through a concept known as the “regression phenomenon”.

One of them disclosed that “when people are faced with extreme stress and insurmountable problems, they tend to unconsciously regress to an earlier stage of development, and the pacifier symbolises the security and comfort of infancy.”

But do adult pacifiers actually help relieve stress? Chinese news website, Sohu, recently did a report on the pacifier craze and analysed social media comments and product reviews related to adult pacifiers.

Apparently, many users claim that they “definitely feel less stressed when I bite on it while working,” “sleep better,” and “feel as calm as a little baby.” However, experts warn that using pacifiers for long periods of time can have serious health consequences.

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Dr. Tang Caomin of Sichuan University’s Huaxi College of Stomatology warned that “the oral structure of adults is completely different from that of babies. Prolonged use of pacifiers can cause temporomandibular joint disorder, resulting in joint pain, clicking sounds, and even limited mouth opening.”

“It also poses a threat to the oral mucosa,” Tang added. “The material and design of adult pacifiers may not be suitable for the oral environment of adults, and prolonged use can cause mucosal damage and ulcers.

“There are also safety issues when using them while sleeping. If you sleep with a pacifier in your mouth, it can interfere with breathing, and in the worst case, there is a risk of suffocation,” he disclosed.