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PART 1: BENEFITS IN YOUNG CHILDREN

PART 2: BENEFITS IN ADULTS

Meanwhile, for older people, stuffed animals are also used in therapeutic activities. In preliminary research that took place in two nursing homes, Trzinki and Higgins (2001) developed exercises and activities designed to increase bonding and social communication between grandparents. These activities include physical exercises, games, and using stuffed animals as “group buddies” to accompany grandparents during group meetings. (Trzinki & Higgins, 2001). Based on a follow-up examination conducted one year after the introduction of the above activities, the two researchers found that grandparents still interacted socially with group members and participated in many activities, while that includes using stuffed animals, even after the group breaks up. Although more future research is needed to better understand the effectiveness of the program as well as to know which activities are effective in increasing bonding and social interaction among nursing home residents. , but the results from the above study are an example of the therapeutic benefits of using stuffed animals in tandem with other treatments and methods.

Stuffed animals help older people integrate into society better, while also influencing social support behaviors in adolescents.

Stuffed animals are also used to study social behavior in adolescents. In a series of studies of high school students, Tai and colleagues (2011) asked volunteers to read statements promoting feelings of social isolation, then touch a teddy bear, and then engage in an activity of distributing money to others. Some other volunteers did the same money sharing activity but did not touch the teddy bears before. In their results, the researchers found that people who did both speech reading and teddy bear touching showed more pro-sociality by agreeing to participate in more experiments as well as giving more money than people who are just isolated from society without touching the teddy bear. These results suggest that touching a stuffed animal can alleviate the negative effects of social isolation while increasing pro-social behaviors…

Source: https://icjs.us/the-positives-of-plushies-stuffed-animals-have-benefits-for-children-and-adults/

PLAYATHOME abridged translation