Is it okay to have a stuffed animal as an adult?

Some people might feel that owning a stuffed animal as an adult is well, strange, and childish. Some people think that it’s perfectly fine to own one. Whatever the case, the fact is that stuffed animals do reduce stress and increase comfort, for adults and kids alike. According to the comments of a New York Times essay who was written by an adult who plays with and sleeps with stuffed animals, said that stuffed animals toys helped cope with a serious illness or trauma. Others say that stuffed animals got them through the stress of life: exams, homelessness, and loneliness.

Stuffed animals are what are called transitional objects: items you grow easily attached to, blankets, clothes, or well, stuffed animals. Originally coined by british psychologist and pediatrician Donald Winnicot, studies have shown transitional objects provide comfort and provide less stress after a separation of some kind, mostly with toddlers, but it has been proven to show that adults also benefit from them, especially ones with low self-esteem.

So if stuffed animals and bears are proven to have these beneficial effects, and many adults use it, is it socially acceptable to own a stuffed animal?

It’s better to have a stuffed animal. They have been proven to have beneficial effects and help you get over separation anxiety, and a lot of adults actually have them. But the final decision is up to you. If you think it’s too strange or weird, that’s fine, but just keep in mind that stuffed animals do have there benefits, even with an adult.