The Possibilities are Endless…
Printed stress balls are an amazing promotional product because there are no limitations on how they can be branded. What shape they are can be both pre-moulded designs that are ready to be branded or completely bespoke and made custom to your specific desires and wants. This means that these products can apply to any business. No matter what industry you are in, there is a stress toy for you. The shape, colour, print specifications and even the squishiness can be customised to suit you needs. For example, someone in the sports industry could brand a golf club shaped stress toy or a football or someone in the construction business might fancy a digger shape or drill.
How they work.
One thing people want to know is “do they relieve stress?” The short answer is yes they do. In fact, printed stress balls are scientifically proven to relieve the user of stress and help them relax. The reason for this is first of all the novelty of a stress toy is what initially encourages someone to it pick up and play with it. This is when the stress relief begins. The reason they work is because when you are stressed the sensory brain channel is blocked as the brain is trying to deal with whatever is causing the distress in the first place. The act of repeatedly squeezing the printed stress ball keeps your brain and your body physically occupied which, in turn, causes you mind to lose focus on the destressing factor you are worrying about and centre your attention on they toy. Your brain focuses its resources on controlling the muscles in your hand to repeat the squeezing action therefore you are distracted and you can clear your mind, working as a temporary relief of tension.
The original Stress Balls.
The origin of the stress ball can be traced back to the city of Baoding in China. Back then they were known as iron balls because they’re primarily made from iron as opposed to closed cell the polyurethane foam that printed stress balls are made from nowadays and worked in an immensely different way. Baoding Balls have little chimes inside them and as you rolled the balls around in your hands they emit a relaxing sound which worked in tandem with the motion to calm the user and alleviate stress. The same type of stress balls can still be found and used today for the same reason as modern printed stress balls although back in 1368 AD they were used in warrior training as a way of exercising the hand to improve various things like circulation, strength and coordination as well as a way to release steam.
How The Modern Printed Stress Balls Came to be.
The modern day stress ball was created by a New Yorker by the name of Alex Carswell who, after an intense telephone conversation, hung up his phone and in a bout of rage picked up his pen from his desk and launched it at a picture (the incorrect way to use a promotional pen we would say). After hearing the sound of the picture frame breaking as it smashed on the ground, he felt his anger and strife fade away. After realising that this was an impractical way to relieve the stress of everyday (i.e. he only had a limited amount of picture frames to break) he wanted to create a less destructive way to vent frustration. This lead to the creation of the stress ball in 1988. Slightly different from the modern day printed stress ball, this ball had a speaker and other gadgetry to simulate the sound of smashing glass when thrown or dropped and to recreate the same feeling that Alex felt after that infuriating call.
Choosing the right stress toy for you.
You can get both standard designs of stress toys and more custom made ones. Some of the advantages of choosing a standard shape of stress toy is that the moulds already exist therefore the production time is shortened which is optimal for when you have a deadline or don’t want to have to wait for a custom moulded one to be produced. Another advantage is that there is a lower cost involved so it is cheaper to choose a standard stress ball. However this also limits your choices as choosing a standard printed stress ball restricts how relevant the promotional printed stress ball is to your business, whereas a custom printed stress toy is 100% bespoke however you would like it, so is more unique.
have a look at our range of printed stress balls and stress toys here:
And here is a brief history of Printed Stress Balls and how they work? What do you think of them? Do you keep any stress toys at home or in the office? Let us know by leaving a comment below or messaging us on our social media channels…
Source of “How stress balls work”…
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