LEGO sells over 75 billion bricks per year. That’s the equivalent of retailers selling roughly seven LEGO sets every single second. And according to National Geographic Kids, there is an average of 80 lego bricks per person on Earth.
It is safe to assume that everyone has stepped on a LEGO at some point in their lives. The LEGO Pain Paradox begs the question of why something so small can cause so much pain when stepped on. The answer to the paradox lies in science.
To understand the science behind the pain from a LEGO, one first needs to understand the human body. According to an article by the National Institutes of Health, humans feel pain from receptors in the body. Nerve cells called nociceptors send a signal to the brain that translates into pain. Certain parts of the body have more pain receptors than others, and the foot alone has 200,000 individual sensory receptors.
Additionally, LEGO pieces are made from hard plastic, also known as ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic. Smithsonian Magazine explains how LEGOs are made to withstand a huge amount of pressure without breaking. When combined, a two-by-two LEGO brick can withstand roughly around 4,240 Newtons. And as Discovery Place puts it, the pressure is equivalent to the weight of a fully grown polar bear, which weighs around 1,000 pounds.
When these two factors are put together, we have the answer to the LEGO Pain Paradox. When a human steps barefoot on a LEGO, the brick gets lodged into the foot. Because there is nothing else supporting the foot, the entire weight of the body presses down on the LEGO brick. And because LEGOs are so durable, they can withstand the pressure. This immediately starts firing off all the tiny nociceptors in the foot, sending signals to the brain which translates into pain. However, you may have noticed that stepping on a flat bed of LEGOs hurts less. This is because when stepping on multiple LEGOs, multiple points of pressure exist and the pressure is then distributed.
Every minute, 35,000 LEGO pieces are being produced, and it doesn’t stop there. LEGOs will always be an iconic toy and somehow, they’ll always end up on the floor. The next time you find yourself victim to stepping on a LEGO brick, at least you’ll know the reason behind the LEGO Pain Paradox.
