Do stress balls really work? Why BLACKPINK’s Rosé and aespa’s Karina swear by them

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Small, soft and easy to overlook, stress balls have quietly become a go-to item for stress management — even among K-pop stars. But does squeezing a stress ball actually help relieve stress, or is it just a placebo fueled by celebrity buzz?

BLACKPINK’s Rosé recently drew attention to the item in a video on the Vogue Korea YouTube channel, pulling a stress ball out of her bag and explaining why she never goes without it. “I always carry it, even to business meetings,” she said. “Whenever I feel anxious, it helps shift my attention elsewhere, so I make sure to have one with me.”

She added that holding the stress ball helps her focus during high-stakes moments. “When I have an important meeting or need to make a big decision, this really helps me concentrate,” she said. “It’s so good for relieving stress and anxiety that I can’t do anything without it now.”

Aespa’s Karina echoed the sentiment in a YouTube video for GQ Korea, where she showed off a stress ball she received as a gift. Smiling, she said she touches it whenever she feels stressed, saying it “instantly lifts my mood.”

Despite looking like a simple toy, stress balls can indeed help ease tension, experts say. When a person experiences stress, the sympathetic nervous system becomes activated, tightening muscles and increasing one’s heart rate and breathing. Repeatedly squeezing and releasing a stress ball causes the muscles in the hands and forearms to contract and relax, sending a signal to the body that it is safe to release tension.

This process helps calm an overactivated sympathetic nervous system while activating the parasympathetic nervous system. In effect, the hand movements send calming signals to the brain, lowering overall physical tension.

Stress balls also work by redirecting attention through tactile stimulation. Under stress, the brain tends to fixate on negative thoughts such as anxiety, worry or anger. Sensory input from the hands activates the brain’s sensory processing areas, temporarily interrupting this cycle of negative thinking. Psychologically, this is known as an “attentional shift.”

However, experts caution against overuse. Squeezing a stress ball too forcefully or for extended periods can strain the wrist, fingers and forearm muscles, potentially causing pain or inflammation. Stress balls are also meant to provide temporary relief, not a complete solution. Addressing the underlying causes of stress remains essential.

Other hand-based tools can offer similar benefits. Therapy putty with a soft texture, fidget cubes designed for repetitive clicking and low-resistance hand grippers all rely on the same principle: simple, repetitive hand movements combined with sensory stimulation to help the body relax.

This article from Kormedi.com, Korea’s top health care and medical portal, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.