Hi, we're here from curiosity.com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes.

I'm Cody Gough.

And I'm Ashley Hamer.

Today we'll answer a listener question about why people fidget.

Then you'll learn about the surprising role maps have played throughout history from special guests Justin for now and Emiliano Rupra.

Let's map out some curiosity.

We got a listener question from Brian who asks,

why do humans have a natural tendency to fidget with objects?

Do animals practice this behavior as well?

Great question, Brian.

There's no single reason scientists can point to for why people fidget, but they do have a few

researched-backed theories, and they all might be related. The first theory might be the one

you'd assume. It's a way to stave off boredom or a lack of attention.

One study found that students watching a lecture were less attentive over time and that

drop an attention coincided with an increase in fidgeting.

Why? Well, scientists think fidgeting might actually help bring your attention back to the task at hand

as it did for study participants in 2009 who were allowed to doodle during a boring

phone conversation.

Another theory says that fidgeting reduces stress.

Studies that put men in stressful situations have found that the ones who fidgeted more

also experienced less stress.

Weirdly, the same wasn't true for women,

...