Anxiety, negative emotions: how the cuddly toy can help children... and also adults!

Alexandre Dalifard / Photo credit: THOMAS TRUTSCHEL / PHOTOTHEK / DPA PICTURE-ALLIANCE VIA AFP 16:43 pm, May 22, 2023

What if the cuddly toy was not only for children? This little stuffed animal will surely bring back memories to some, such as the feeling of security once in your arms to fall asleep. But the cuddly toy is not just a simple plush, it also has soothing virtues. For the occasion, columnist Cécile Coumau presents, in Bienfait pour vous, the results of psychological research conducted to understand the link between a child and his blanket.

Overall, these studies have shown that he has superpowers. "It lowers the level of cortisol and therefore anxiety. It helps regulate negative emotions and it can even get messages across. Like in the hospital for example during a bite made by a doctor, in order to show that it does not hurt, "she explains at the microphone of Julia Vignali and Mélanie Gomez.

The teddy bear, the ideal cuddly toy

In addition, there are researchers from the University of Montpellier who wanted to draw the robot portrait of the best blanket. "This is the iconic teddy bear that has crossed all generations," reveals Cécile Coumau. French researchers interviewed thousands of people, and as Nathalie Blanc, professor of psychology at the University of Montpellier 3, explains, this "typical" cuddly toy awakens all our senses. "The touch and the somewhat soft character of the fur makes it possible to arouse pleasant emotions that can participate in lowering a negative emotional feeling," details the specialist at the microphone of Europe 1. She specifies that this bear does not necessarily have to be disproportionate or even smiling, to the great surprise of researchers. "Finally, the teddy bear does not need to display a smile to be considered comforting," she says.

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Another result of the study caught the attention of researchers: smell. "The participants said that the teddy bear must smell good. But you still have to take it with tweezers. The blanket that we walk everywhere and that is ours, it certainly has the smell of our home, our cocoon, "says Nathalie Blanc. Finally, he is the one who has gone through all the trials of life. This explains, in a way, why some adults keep their blanket.

The blanket, more effective than a sleeping pill

"It's reminiscent of the reassuring time of childhood," says Cécile Coumau. In Anglo-Saxon countries such as the United States or even Australia, many adults finally admit to keeping their cuddly toy under the pillow. In France, people are a little more discreet on the subject. However, many psychologists say it: it is useless to feel guilty. Seeking a little comfort from a cuddly toy is not so serious, especially in the evening when falling asleep when small anxieties disturb sleep, the blanket is better than a sleeping pill.

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On the other hand, some parents wonder if they should not help their children to part with the blanket. "It happens around 6 years old and it makes sense because the child will enter CP and the stuffed animal has no place in elementary school. So normally, the child has already started to put him at a distance in kindergarten, "says Cécile Coumau. However, Nathalie Blanc refuses any dogmatism. "Finally, the child will gradually separate from this transitional object from the moment he will be able to invest strategies on his own that will be able to appease him. But I don't think there's a typical age where you have to tell the child that he's too big to have a blanket," she insists.