Can TikTok’s “Pinky Time” Trend Keep Your Brain Healthy?

The Trend: You may have noticed people doing a very specific thing with their hands on TikTok. The move involves wrapping your pointer and middle fingers together, then having your ring finger touch your thumb, and wiggling your pinky up and down for about 10 seconds. Creators are calling it “Pinky Time” — a nightly ritual they claim helps keep the brain sharp and ward off Alzheimer’s. It looks strange (to say the least), but is there any real science behind the trend’s supposed brain health benefits? 

What People Are Saying: The big claim floating around is that struggling with the move signals cognitive decline. Experts say that part is a stretch because difficulty with a new motor task can come down to hand dominance or joint issues, not necessarily anything going on with your brain. What the trend does get right, though, is that attempting unfamiliar movements is a workout of sorts for multiple regions of the brain.

What to Know: Fine motor tasks become harder to do as the brain ages, which is why challenging yourself with new physical skills is good for you. Pinky time won’t tell you anything definitive about your cognitive health, but the novelty of learning new movements does benefit your brain.