{"id":81184,"date":"2025-08-14T03:20:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T03:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/81184\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T03:20:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T03:20:14","slug":"stressed-out-adults-in-china-are-turning-to-adult-pacifiers-to-relieve-their-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/81184\/","title":{"rendered":"Stressed out adults in China are turning to adult pacifiers to relieve their anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"

The life of a baby is a pretty good one. Frequent naps, healthy food, and bespoke day trips make up the majority of a baby\u2019s day, while the only stresses they encounter can be relieved with a literal pick-me-up. The urge to return to the good old days is understandable. A large chunk of Chinese adults are doing just that \u2013 with the help of adult pacifiers.<\/p>\n

The South China Morning Post reports<\/a> that adults in China are spending upwards of $70 for adult pacifiers, noted for their larger, adult-sized nipples and shields. Some Chinese retailers even claim to be selling as many as 2,000 every month. Users not only say they help relieve stress and anxiety, just like in babies, but are also used to help these suckers quit smoking (which is presumably not a problem for infants). One retailer even claims<\/a> they can help with sleep apnea.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s used for personal comfort or to help with falling asleep, it\u2019s a lot cheaper than therapy.<\/p>\n

In reality, there\u2019s a psychological term for the phenomenon: regression<\/a>. It\u2019s a defense mechanism used by adults in challenging emotional circumstances where they try to cope with their emotions by reverting to behaviors associated with a previous stage of development when they felt safer and more secure. In short, when life gets overwhelming, they do something that once made them feel safe.<\/p>\n

And what could pacify your constant worries about bills, meetings, and medical conditions better than an actual pacifier?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really soothing and helps me feel little,\u201d said one reviewer.<\/p>\n

\"You<\/p>\n

You can find everything on TikTok.<\/p>\n

But the new adult binky, like the Labubu before it, isn\u2019t a trend that will stay in China. It\u2019s already making its way across the Pacific Ocean. American adults on TikTok are starting to post their own pacifier Toks, sucking on their Nuk Nuk as they write reports, commute through rush-hour traffic, or engage in other stress-filled adulting activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a mild case of sleep Apnea, these pacifiers work wonders,\u201d wrote another reviewer. \u201cI sleep through the night without waking shortness of breath.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it sounds like a harmless trend, it might not be. Even pediatricians don\u2019t recommend<\/a> a pacifier as the first go-to means of soothing a baby. After age 2, there can be harmful dental effects (although we\u2019re not sure if that applies to full-grown adults). But Tang Caomin, a dentist in China\u2019s Sichuan Province, says it can do more than harm teeth.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsing pacifiers over a long period may limit a person\u2019s ability to open their mouth and cause pain when chewing,\u201d he said. \u201cBy sucking the dummy for more than three hours a day, the position of your teeth might change after a year.\u201d<\/p>\n

One Chinese psychologist told the Post that an adult pacifier isn\u2019t a real solution to the adult\u2019s underlying problem, and that problem needs to be faced directly.<\/p>\n

Listen: stress kills. We all feel it. How you deal with it is up to you. But anyone worried about how America\u2019s Gen Z would handle a war with China\u2019s Gen Z can rest assured that China\u2019s kids have problems of their own.<\/p>\n

\"adult<\/a><\/p>\n

adult pacifier trend<\/p>\n

Feature <\/a><\/p>\n

Stressed out adults in China are turning to adult pacifiers to relieve their anxiety<\/p>\n

By Blake Stilwell<\/a><\/p>\n

\"paper<\/a><\/p>\n

paper tigers<\/p>\n

History <\/a><\/p>\n

The 4 biggest \u2018paper tiger\u2019 armies in the world today The 4 biggest \u2018paper tiger\u2019 armies in the world today<\/p>\n

By Blake Stilwell<\/a><\/p>\n

\"PLA<\/a><\/p>\n

PLA Marines China’s Elite Special Operations Forces<\/p>\n

Special Operations <\/a><\/p>\n

Who wins a fight between Chinese and American special operations Who wins a fight between Chinese and American special operations<\/p>\n

By Jessica Evans<\/a><\/p>\n

\"PLA<\/a><\/p>\n

PLA uniforms<\/p>\n

History <\/a><\/p>\n

Why the Chinese military uses ridiculously blue uniforms Why the Chinese military uses ridiculously blue uniforms<\/p>\n

By Blake Stilwell<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Three<\/a><\/p>\n

Three Chinese astronauts in space suits waving at crowd.<\/p>\n

Technology <\/a><\/p>\n

3 Reasons why China will be the leading power in space by 2030 3 Reasons why China will be the leading power in space by 2030<\/p>\n

By Team Mighty<\/a><\/p>\n

Subscribe to the We Are The Mighty Newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The life of a baby is a pretty good one. Frequent naps, healthy food, and bespoke day trips…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":81185,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[56900,144,97,259,260,56899,33670],"class_list":["post-81184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-american-adults","tag-china","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth","tag-pacifiers","tag-south-china-morning-post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}