Okay, humor me here. This sounds silly, but it really works. Try the resolution to “Chew on a plastic stirrer.

I’ve found that I snack less and concentrate better when I chew on a plastic stirrer—the kind that you get to stir your to-go coffee.

I picked up this habit from my husband, who loves to chew on things. His favorite chew-toy is a plastic pen top, and gnawed pen tops and little bits of plastic litter our apartment.

But he also chews on plastic stirrers, and at some point, I decided to give this practice a try. I’ve been astonished at how helpful this small habit is.

I keep these stirrers in my office and backpack, and whenever I sit down at my computer, I pop one between my teeth. An occupational hazard with writing is to write while eating, smoking, or drinking—usually things that aren’t very healthy—but having the stirrer in my mouth diminishes that urge. True, my urge to snack has plummeted since I’ve started eating along the lines suggested by Gary Taubes’s book Why We Get Fat, but this habit has cut down it down still further.

Also, chewing on a stirrer helps me to concentrate. I feel more focused when I am chewing away. I’m not sure why that is. Perhaps it’s the placebo effect, but the placebo effect is quite effective, so I’ll take it.

I’m a devoted hair-twister, so I definitely have an aptitude for nervous habits. Chewing on a plastic stirrer is probably the adult equivalent of popping in a pacifier, but it’s effective.

How about you? Do you ever chew on plastic stirrers, straws, pencils, ice, or other things? Or do you have other habits that are similarly helpful?


Gretchen Rubin is the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller The Happiness Project—an account of the year she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific studies, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier—and the recently released Happier at Home. On her popular blog, The Happiness Project, she reports on her daily adventures in the pursuit of happiness. For more doses of happiness and other happenings, follow Gretchen on Facebook and Twitter.

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