Adult LEGO fans find mental health benefits in the brick

Millennials are using the LEGO hobby like a mindfulness exercise, according to adult fans.

An article in the Telegraph has highlighted how LEGO fans are using the bricks as a way to switch off from screens and the pressures of modern life. Speaking to several UK-based fans and highlighting the online advert suggesting LEGO building as an alternative to yoga (in a tongue-in-cheek way), the feature suggests there are mindful benefits to the brick.

“They find peace of mind,” UK-based fan Richard Carter told the newspaper. “Especially now with the awareness of mental health. Mindfulness comes with building something.

“I think that’s the appeal for the adult fans, it’s time to switch off. You don’t have to be glued to a screen.”

“There is a meditative sort of state, which is similar in terms of yoga and those sorts of things,” said Matt Elder, another LEGO enthusiast. This mindful quality was picked up in a book that launched last year titled Build Yourself Happy, which seeks to help readers find ‘the joy of LEGO play’.

The owner of Minifigs and Bricks, a shop in York, Dave Kirkham was also quoted for the article: “We’re doing a lot with the mental health side of things.”

While LEGO building does not necessarily have a mental health benefit, it can be a calming activity for people looking for something to help them ‘switch off’ and have some quiet time. And most LEGO fans would agree that it is good fun either way.

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