Thumb Twiddling

Thumb twiddling is an activity that is done with the hands of an individual whereby the fingers are interlocked and the thumbscircle around a common focal point, usually in the middle of the distance between the two thumbs.

While it is an expression of at least a moderate amount of manual dexterity, thumb twiddling is frequently used as an example of a useless, time-wasting activity. It has even been proposed as "the ultimate exercise for the bored and lazy".

Thumb twiddling is considered to be the same useless actives such as opening and closing doors and checking to see if a lock is bolted tight. It's reported that thumb twiddling is common in individuals with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). For some individuals, thumb twiddling is a result in being anxious or nervous, having anxiety, or simply doing it out of habit.


Thumb twiddling can be used as a simple test for manual dexterity.