By Sarah Abraham, Full-Time Writing Specialist
January 30, 2023

Over the last few years, LEGO has been marketing to a new demographic: adults (Bhattarai, 2020). LEGO are a great challenge for kids and encourage curiosity and using fine motor skills. However, LEGO discovered that adults were taking to their products for stress relief. Following a set of someone else’s instructions to piece together a final product can be an excellent way for adults to ease their minds and escape the daily stressors of work, family, and other demands.

When I think about the relief that building LEGO has given to many adults, my mind drifts to college students. Most college students have stressors coming from every angle: school, work, family, finances, athletics, volunteering, and more. College students often have little time to decompress and escape the demanding nature of higher education. Further, most students today spend excessive amounts of time looking at a screen. LEGO take the eyes away from the screen and the mind away from stress. They place the mind on manipulating physical objects and creating a tangible final product — something that isn’t very common anymore.

LEGO has taken initiative to involve adults in building. Multiple sets have been created, specifically targeted at adults, including architecture, wall art, and intricate builds from beloved fandoms, like Harry Potter, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and a variety of TV shows (like The Office).

Even further, LEGO has taken steps to have discussions about mindfulness and how their products have been increasingly used by adults to practice it. Building LEGO is a great way to take one’s focus away from everything around them, follow a set of instructions (usually without requiring too much in-depth thought), and immerse themselves in a peaceful reality. LEGO has written a book, Build Yourself Happy, that takes a look into the way that building LEGO has benefited people of all ages.

As for me, I didn’t do much with LEGO as a kid. My brother had two huge bins of them, and sometimes I built with them, but not often. Since becoming a college student, graduating, and experiencing stressful life occurrences (as many of us have in the last few years), I have found significant peace in sitting at my desk, listening to music, and piecing together a LEGO structure. When I build, I am able to drown out everything around me, focus on placing each piece, and watch a creation become alive right before my eyes. The intricate sets created by LEGO with adults in mind can even make impressive display pieces once they are completed. Some people choose to tear the build down and do it all over again.

Overall, LEGO sets have started to become a staple in many people's lives, including students, for stress and anxiety relief. LEGO can be expensive, but the variety of builds available make them affordable for almost anyone. It might seem peculiar to some, but LEGO have provided relief for so many people of all ages, including myself. If you haven’t tried building LEGO as a way of stress relief, I highly recommend you give it a shot!