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Stress less, build LEGO® sets

Adults are finding that losing themselves in a LEGO® build helps reduce stress and anxiety levels.

It’s certainly no secret that LEGO play is as much an adult pastime as it is for kids. In fact, even big stars like David Beckham have recognised the calming effects of building LEGO sets. In an interview with The Guardian in 2014, Beckham said, “I think LEGO sometimes helps to calm me down.”

LEGO Architecture, as well as LEGO Creator and LEGO Technic are just a few of the themes which have the support of avid adult fans of LEGO (AFOLs).

“I think LEGO sometimes helps to calm me down.”

David Beckham

“It’s nice to have something completely different from my job, where I’m not thinking so much but can get really focused and forget about everything else,” explains Peter Mordecai, in an article in the Metro about the anxiety-reducing effects of LEGO play. 

Dan Jarvis, who is another AFOL interviewed in the article, explains, “I go in the loft and I can forget about all the troubles in the world and I totally relax. And that’s my stress relief really.”

Yet another fan, Jack Daubey, observes that his LEGO hobby helps him to reset: “It’s something creative that also helps you clear your mind and that really works for me.”

Build your escape

“Build your escape” is an attempt at reaching the adult LEGO fan base to communicate the potential psychological benefits of building with LEGO bricks. Its suggestion: skip the yoga, and lose yourself in the process of building a LEGO set you can relate to. 

Here are 4 ways LEGO play can help you zen out: 

  1. It demands your undivided attention – leave your phone in the other room and focus on the task at hand.
  2. It helps you harness mindfulness – and encourages you to let go of any difficult or stressful experiences.
  3. It boosts your creativity – and helps you see things from a different perspective.
  4. It is precision based – it’s a great way to find control and remind yourself of your capabilities. 

A new LEGO theme…?

Just last year, The LEGO Group’s Creative Play Lab launched a crowd-funding project through IndieGoGo for a concept they call LEGO FORMA – a LEGO-based set that combines LEGO building and mechanisation with colouring activities for adults looking for hobbies that lower stress levels and promote mindfulness. The models are a variety of fish using just under 300 LEGO parts and a customisable “skin” which you colour in.

The description summarises it as “a premium LEGO experience for adults looking for a simple, fun way to disconnect from their screens and reconnect with their creative side.”

The crowd-funding campaign was so successful that the company managed to raise 1334% of their original goal. We will soon see whether or not fans find the sets successful at assisting them to destress.

Whether you sit down to enjoy an instructional build, prefer to free build or create your own LEGO model, it seems that the stress-relieving benefits of LEGO play for adults is one well worth paying attention to. 

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