One night in Greece I was finishing up my dinner-for-one and, with their laid-back lifestyle, I knew it would be a while before they brought me the check. So I sat and decided to watch the world around me.

My eyes wandered around the outdoor restaurant but lingered on a table of younger girls. And I observed, without judgment. Until a thought popped into my head, and I took out my diary and wrote the following:

Dinner at the port, June 27, IDK what time

(I literally wrote that down... I set my clock to 24-hour time to be like the locals, but I was always confused)

As much as I like to make fun of them and roll my eyes when I see them being sold at every store, ultimately I think Fidget Spinners are a good thing.

As I sit here at dinner, I notice this table of three young girls, sipping' on cokes and spinning away. One might scoff - hell, I usually would - but something dawned on me:

These girls may be focused on the revolving plastic in their hands, but they still must rely on each other for connection, entertainment.

This was what sparked my imagination, because in most cases you'd see these three girls at this same table, but tied to iPhones or iPads.

Once they get bored of the predictable, rotating contraption in their hand, they must look up and converse - unlike with phones. Phones are sources of distraction, connection, and addiction.

In my mind, the brains of the people in our society will continually weaken as technology drastically improves. People love objects and use people to achieve them (rather than loving people and using objects.)

The overall unconsciousness of man, to me, is the source of our world's problems, and our dependence on technology is a huge weakness. Instead of facing and fixing problems now, people rely on the improvement of technology to magically save the day sometime in the future.

BUT

If the children of this new generation grow up playing with a simple, three-pronged piece of plastic - maybe they will be less dependent on technology, instant satisfaction, and no longer be slaves to comparison.

Maybe a new norm will set in.

So, nearly a month later, with this thought still bouncing back into the spotlight in my brain, I decided to find scientific evidence that could potentially back my observation.

1. Sensory over-stimulation from cell phones

"Early life experiences affect the formation of neuronal networks, which can have a profound impact on brain function and behavior later in life..."

"...excessive sensory stimulation in early life significantly alters drug reward and the neural circuits that regulate addiction and attention deficit hyperactivity."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC49940...

The American Academy of Pediatrics even set guidelines recommending that children spend no more than 2 hours looking at a screen, and only to show children high-quality, educational cartoons like Sesame Street.

So for many people I know who hand their child their iPad with youtube open, you may want to rethink using the screen as a make-shift babysitter. Hand your kid a Fidget Spinner and read them a story or something.

2. Brain on Toys v. Brain on Phones

"...sixth graders who used these fidget toys during instruction independently reported that their “attitude, attention, writing abilities, and peer interaction improved.”"

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/fidget-toys-ki...

"Some games like Minecraft and fun educational apps on phones, tablets and Kindles are good for problem-solving and critical thinking skills, but too often children spend hours playing these games, which prevent them from building their gross motor skills and core muscle needed for important tasks."

http://ilslearningcorner.com/2016-12-learning-toys...

“It is essential that any new standards for cell phones or other wireless devices be based on protecting the youngest and most vulnerable populations to ensure they are safeguarded through their lifetimes.”

https://ehtrust.org/science/medical-doctors-consen...

3. Phone Addictions

Adult phone addictions not only affect the addict, but a study by the Child Development journal found that over half the parents in this study "admitted to three daily incidents of technoference in their interactions with their kids, and the researchers say that these seem to correlate with young children being more prone to whining, sulking, restlessness, frustration, and outbursts of temper."

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may...

While for children, some as young as 13 are checking into iPhone rehabilitation centers (!!!)

"When you start handing these devices to young children and they're distracted by the movement, the color, and sound coming from this device, that is mesmerizing enough that it will override all those natural instincts that children actually have for movement and exploration and social interaction.

http://news.sky.com/story/children-as-young-as-13-...

4. Instant Technological Gratification

Not only does this get you in a bad habit of impatience and low motivation for long-term goals, but it also keeps you unhappy. When you're bored, you check your social media and it instantly entertains you... But what happens when you get bored of that?

If you're like me, you're probably restarting with the app you checked very first, in hopes of something new popping up to satisfy your craving for entertainment and/or attention.

"Our joy disappears when all we care about is how fast and furious we can get something we want. Instant gratification teaches us that if it’s not here immediately, then it’s not worth it."

http://www.thesocialbeing721.com/2017/05/08/explor...

So in regards to this research, I hope this Fidget Spinner craze doesn't die out, in hopes of being brought back to simplicity, like when our parents were young and spent their days outside with friends.

Instead of kids growing up aspiring to have the most followers, maybe they will grow up aspiring to come up with ways to help the environment, to help people, to change the world with art, or to understand different cultures while traveling and meeting different people.

Any toy that can bring kids together and encourage social interaction and living in the moment, is something that can change the world.