South China Morning Post<\/a>, some shops are selling thousands of them every month.<\/p>\nAdult Pacifiers Are Rising in Popularity <\/p>\n
Many users claim to understand. Some say it calms their nerves during work. Others claim it helps them sleep. A few even say it\u2019s helped them stop smoking. \u201cI feel comfortable sucking it,\u201d one review reads. \u201cIt gives me psychological comfort and makes me not so fidgety.\u201d<\/p>\n
Psychologists call this the \u201cregression phenomenon\u201d\u2014basically, the idea that when life gets overwhelming, people retreat into something that made them feel safe as kids. The pacifier, in this case, isn\u2019t just an object. It\u2019s a shortcut to comfort, a reminder of a time when you didn\u2019t have meetings, bills, or reasons to wake up at 3 a.m. with stress-induced chest pain.<\/p>\n
But medical professionals aren\u2019t thrilled. Dr. Tang Caomin, a dentist in Sichuan, warned that pacifiers aren\u2019t built for adult mouths. Prolonged use can alter your bite, cause joint damage, or disrupt your breathing during sleep. \u201cIf you sleep with a pacifier in your mouth,\u201d Tang said, \u201cit can interfere with breathing, and in the worst case, there is a risk of suffocation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, the trend isn\u2019t staying local. Videos have started surfacing on TikTok<\/a> showing American adults sucking on pacifiers to get through stress at work, in traffic, or during moments of pure burnout. <\/p>\nWhat started as a niche coping tool in China is now inching into global stress culture, one adult-sized binky at a time. As one Chinese buyer put it, \u201cWhen I\u2019m under pressure at work, I feel a sense of safety from childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s easy to laugh, but also easy to get it. When life feels unmanageable, people grab onto whatever gives them even a second of relief. Sometimes that\u2019s deep breathing. Sometimes it\u2019s a silicone nipple.<\/p>\n