In recent months, a strikingly unconventional trend has emerged across China: adult-sized pacifiers are gaining popularity as tools for stress relief.
Far beyond their traditional use for infants, these silicone soothers are being embraced by young adults as coping mechanisms for anxiety, poor sleep, and unhealthy habits.
But Why?
On Chinese social media platforms like Sina Weibo and Douyin, discussions about adult pacifiers have drawn tens of millions of views, a clear signal of widespread curiosity and intrigue.
Major e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and JD.com report robust monthly sales, with some retailers moving over 2,000 pacifiers per month. The price range is surprisingly broad, spanning approximately 10 to 500 yuan (roughly $1.40 to $70 USD).
Many users describe positive experiences: improvements in sleep quality, reduced anxiety, and decreased impulsive snacking or smoking.
One user claimed it helped curb constant chatter and snacking; another said using a pacifier while stressed at work grounded them emotionally. Others noted it played a role in smoking cessation, with its oral stimulation serving as a stand-in for cigarettes.
The Psychology Behind It
Experts often frame this trend through the lens of the “regression phenomenon,” where adults under intense stress subconsciously revert to comforting behaviors from earlier developmental stages.
Wang Xueling, a stomatology leader at the Aerospace Center Hospital in Beijing, explains that in high-pressure situations, people may gravitate toward the oral stage of infancy for psychological relief.
Psychologist Zhang Mo further suggests that the pacifier symbolizes safety and triggers a sense of childhood calm, even as the act may hinder individuals from addressing real, underlying sources of stress.
Indeed, some Weibo users questioned whether the trend simply serves as a marketing tactic or reflects an unhealthy cultural overreliance on infantilizing coping methods.
Risks
Medical professionals have voiced substantial concern about the potential physical and psychological risks of prolonged pacifier use.
Experts caution that extended daily use, especially over three hours, can lead to jaw stiffness, temporomandibular discomfort, difficulty chewing, and shifting teeth alignment. More severe risks include airway obstruction and choking, particularly if used during sleep.
Using pacifiers for snoring or teeth grinding might also offer only temporary relief while potentially triggering serious oral issues like anterior open bite, tongue thrusting, retruded jaw, and oral mucosal ulcers.
Psychologists also warn that relying on such regressive coping mechanisms may delay individuals from addressing mental health challenges in meaningful ways.
Goes Beyond China
While the trend began in China, it has rapidly captured attention worldwide. Videos of adults in the U.S. using pacifiers, while stuck in traffic, at the office, or managing burnout, have appeared on TikTok and Instagram, often eliciting equal parts amusement and empathy.
Some Western users have chimed in with firsthand commentary: “I just use an adult pacifier, it hasn’t moved my teeth; I’ve been using them for four years,” one noted.
Another shared that the ADHD benefit it offered made it indispensable, likening it to being “cheaper than a mouth guard”.
However, not everyone is supportive. A segment on Fox News, host Jesse Watters mocking “pacifier-using youths”, highlighted the cultural disconnect.
Watters compared this trend to the trauma of military deployment, while co-host Greg Gutfeld dismissed modern stress as trivial, suggesting such items reflect emotional overindulgence rather than resilience.
Conclusion
The adult pacifier phenomenon underscores a cultural tension: the search for solace in an increasingly complex and stressful world. On one hand, these soothers offer tangible, comforting relief for anxiety, insomnia, or addictive impulses.
On the other, the risks, physical and psychological, highlight that some coping strategies may be shortcuts that mask deeper needs.
Experts urge individuals to consider this trend thoughtfully. While calming and comforting in the short term, pacifiers cannot replace long-term solutions such as therapy, stress-management techniques, or emotional support systems.
In essence, adult pacifiers are not inherently harmful, but they offer an imperfect crutch, a reminder that sometimes, what we crave most is not an escape, but an invitation to build stronger coping skills.
