WHY WE LOVE LEGO — LEADING PSYCHOLOGIST REVEALS

WHY WE LOVE LEGO - LEADING PSYCHOLOGIST REVEALS THE 'BUILDER INSTINCT' IS THE KEY TO THE POPULARITY OF THE TOY With 62 pieces of Lego in the world for each one of us, a Psychologist has given his take on what makes the toy so enduring. Jon Sutton, managing editor of The Psychologist (an internet magazine, focusing on psychological articles and advices), has written his own love letter to Lego, saying how he uses it as a psychological tool - and as a way to relax. He said: 'What was little more than a passing interest in childhood built into something of an obsession when I had my own children, and I should probably abandon the pretense I am buying it for them. ' Sutton's journey took in a wide number of views.

He noted how other psychologists feel the same way. Uta Frith (University College London) encouraged him to write an article, saying "the idea of a Lego cult is in no way exaggerated". 'She even penned her own contribution, a "fan letter to Lego", and as Roger Highfield (author and executive at the National Museum of Science and Industry) has said: "A surprising number of people care about the aesthetic appeal of these little colorful blocks". Senior psychology lecturer David Whitebread at the University of Cambridge said: 'I don’t think there is one thing which makes Lego so special but they have clearly got quite a few things right. One feature which I think is significant is that the entry level of physical skill required to build with Lego is quite low. ’

I have played with other construction kits where just the physical demands of fixing it together rather got in the way of the creativity and problem-solving opportunities. With Lego even quite young children can quickly start to put together models; it’s easy to build, easy to change your ideas and undo and rebuild. 'When you watch children playing with Lego they are often problem-solving with the constructional aspects and involving themselves in a world of pretense at the same time. I don’t recall that from my own childhood endeavors with, say, Meccano, where the process of building was very valuable but more demanding, and so effectively closed out the imaginative aspects. '

Psychologist Alan Redman echoed the sentiments. 'I have managed to use Lego in a professional capacity - mostly in assessment exercises, but also as the basis for a spatial reasoning test. These isolated moments represent the high points of my practice. Everything else is dull and monochrome by comparison. ‘ Writer Curtis Silver told Sutton: 'First, it taught us to follow instructions. The bag being dumped out onto the ground – that was Chaos. The instructions guiding you through putting the pieces together – that was Order. Second, it taught us to discard the instructions, add the new bag to the current pieces and make whatever the hell you wanted. This drove our minds crazy with sick organizational delight as children – the possibilities of what we could build. '

Psychologist Charles Fernyhough, from the University of Durham, said: 'What strikes me as particularly interesting about Lego is that it is non-representational material that can be made to be representational – although of course that has changed in recent years with more and more pieces being specifically representational, depicting specific characters, tools, features. ' If you are an AFOL, you are an 'Adult Fan of Lego', and your hand is your HOG as you move the figures around - The Hand of God

BUILDING A TRIBUTE TO LEGO Lego was first built in 1932 when Danish carpenter went bankrupt With little carpentry work, he began building wooden toys in his workshop - starting with a wooden duck He named his company LEGO - from the Danish from 'leg godt' - 'play well' The phrase also translates as 'I put together' in Latin The first sets - for a townscape, space scene, and castle, were manufactured in 1978 The company released different skin colors for LEGO Basketball for 2004 LEGO produces nearly 20 billion LEGO bricks a year - or 36, 000 a minute LEGO also makes 306 million (tiny) tyres a year - more than any other 'tyre' manufacturer

Here's a camera! Since the 1980 s, the toy has become increasingly high-tech, although it still provides the basic building blocks

Lego! From instruments to full-scale cars, the toy has been used in a variety of different ways

Last year presenter James May built a Lego house - sadly it got demolished a week later

The Saturn 3 spaceship: Lego passes on to the final frontier. . .

1. Why have other most popular toys become popular? Draw example of your favorite toy or any of the following (Transformers, Tamagochi, Slinky, Teddy bear, Marbles, Barbie, Rubik’s Cube, Water Pistol). 2. What do you think is the real secret of Lego’s popularity? 3. What are the components of the perfect toy? How important is replayability for you? 4. What things do you think of first when you choose the toy present for someone? 5. What toys are best suited for toddlers? And what would you gift to a more adult child? 6. Are there some toys you played in your childhood that became popular now again? Why? 7. Have you ever thought to create your own toy? What kind of toy would it be?