Fidgeting

The more thinking a task needs, the more people with ADHD move

Research-backed

Fidgeting in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not limited to boredom. As tasks require more remembering and processing in the mind, children and adults with ADHD move increasingly more than others(Lea et al., 2018; Soto et al., 2024). This also applies when children must suppress a response(Soto et al., 2024).

A meta-analysis of 63 studies estimated the chance of greater movement in someone with ADHD than someone without it: about 84% in the hardest mental tasks, versus about 60% in easy tasks (approximate values)(Kofler et al., 2016).

More movement may therefore reflect mental effort rather than not listening. Some movement is unrelated to the task and remains elevated throughout(Soto et al., 2024).

People with ADHD often answer more accurately when moving more

Proposed in research

Boys with ADHD aged 8–12 performed better in memory tasks when they moved more, but overall still below their peers. Children without ADHD performed slightly worse when moving more(Sarver et al., 2015).

A study tracking movement for each question found stronger foot movement during correct answers in adolescents with ADHD aged 10–17(Hartanto et al., 2016). Among 70 adults with ADHD, movement was also greater during correct answers(Son et al., 2024).

Researchers suggest this movement may help maintain alertness and steady attention(Hartanto et al., 2016; Son et al., 2024). Optimal stimulation theory offers the same explanation. Better performance while moving more does not mean deliberately moving more will improve performance.

Fidgeting need not be suppressed during mentally demanding learning

Proposed in research

In learning tasks that rely on memory, such as taking notes while listening or silently remembering a string of numbers, effort spent suppressing natural fidgeting may not help.

Researchers who found better memory-task performance when children with ADHD moved more therefore advise against overcorrecting their movement in these tasks(Sarver et al., 2015).

More movement with losing track may mean mind wandering

Proposed in research

Fidgeting also accompanies mind wandering. In a task pressing a key to a beat, adults from the general population fidgeted noticeably more during deep mind wandering(Seli et al., 2014). Adults from the general population who were more prone to inattention and spontaneous mind wandering also reported more fidgeting(Carriere et al., 2013).

Movement alone makes it hard to distinguish focus from mind wandering; keeping up with the content matters. More movement combined with forgetting what was just read or heard may mean mind wandering. Attention can then be brought back.