Pen clicking

Pen clicking is repeated pressing of the button of a retractable pen such as a ballpoint pen which produces a clicking sound.
Retractable pens
The origin of the retractable pen is controversial. The Frawley Pen Company, founded in 1949 by Patrick J. Frawley, has claimed to make the "first pen with a retractable ballpoint tip" in 1950. However it has also been claimed that in Japan, the Pilot Pen was introduced as the first retractable fountain pen, and remains a popular product in the Pilot-Namiki line. A patent number 3819282 for a retractable pen was filed on November 2, 1972 (published on June 25, 1974) by Penn Corporation (located in Princeton, NJ).
How a click pen works/why it makes a noise
A click pen has several parts to it: the ballpoint of the pen, ink, spring, the frame, and other parts that may vary. The click pen works because of the spring. The spring creates tension with the ballpoint of the pen, allowing it to stay out. When the end of the pen is clicked again, the tension is released causing the ballpoint to sink back into the frame.
The clicking habit
In its normal use, the button is only pressed when someone wants the nib of the pen to be exposed so they can write with it. It is impossible to click a pen without the nib of the pen being exposed. This makes a noise, which varies in tone, dynamic and timbre depending on the size and make of the pen. When the noise is heard repeatedly it can sound like a "locust convention", thinking, hiding something, or nervousness. Pen clicking is one type of harassment that can be done while on foot. Clicking pens is one of the physical symptoms of OCD.
It has been described as a nervous habit a form of fidgeting. It can also be described as a "distracting activity that releases nervous energy".
Some people find it hard to concentrate when others are pen-clicking, and so the action can often be thought of as a pet peeve.
Due to this action often being a pet peeve, some people have come up with ways of making a person they know stop clicking pens repeatedly. Just like any other bad habit, there are many more productive ideas including: acknowledging that it is all in your mind, finding out why you are doing the action, preparing to change your habit, looking into substituting the bad habit for a good habit, and working out if your habit is turning into an obsession.
The boundary setting tool can be used when dealing with a coworker who is a pen clicker. You can say "I'd like to mention to you that when you click your pen, I find it difficult to concentrate. I was wondering if you'd please stop?" If the doer is embarrassed by the comment, you can add "I'm not saying there's anything wrong with you or with your pen clicking. The problem lies with me and my lack of concentration". If the doer is angry at the comment, you can add "I know that you have every right to click your pen. I'm only asking you this as a favour so I can get my work done". No matter how the conversation goes, your main point is that you are distracted, not that they are clicking their pen. If this does not work, one is advised to either "grin and bear it" (to completely ignore the sounds and dismiss them as unimportant) or to move further away from the clicking.
In a discussion of pen clicking is hospital wards, blogger "impactEDnurse" - real name Ian Miller - who has over 24 years emergency room experience, has argued that there is a "correlation between the frequency and intensity of pen clicking, and the overall stress level on the ward." This habit of patients may originate from doctors and nurses due to them either pressing the "pocket clip against the body of the pen", or "repeatedly retracting and extending the nib of the pen". He describes pen clicking as a "'sort of Geiger counter' that comes in the form of repeated retraction and extension of a pen nib, flicking the pocket clip against the body of the pen or just tapping a pen against a desk". He states that chronically obsessed medical staff use four-coloured pens, "rotating through the colours as they click like a rosary". In an emergency, they may jam 2 or 3 ink tubes through the barrel simultaneously. Research into these phennomena are currently restricted due to lack of funding. Miller also argues that pen clicking can be infectious. This can also be done as a form of cheating in tests. A prearranged set of pen clicking codes is a lot harder for a teacher to prosecute than, for example, pulling out notes on the test. This is because the teacher would only be able to make a judgement call based on circumstantial evidence.
When organizing an event, one piece of advice is to be aware of one's habit of pen-clicking. It is also considered to be one of the "seven habits of highly ineffective speakers" The book "From B.a. to Payday" notes that " are constantly taking pens out of the hands of our clients. It drives up a wall. Pen clicking is a distraction that can send an interviewer completely off course", but also comments that "some of the smartest people in the world are pen clickers."
Pen clicking can be used by a salesman as an anchor (something which "is designed to hold some in place for a period of time"). In this case a movement creates a sound anchor. If after you say something the client responds positively, you can verbally confirm it and then click your pen to both "anchor the positives...and bring a close before moving on to the next part". Later, when you are closing the deal, as they are "umming and ahhing", you click the pen and smile as you counter the objections they have. This "manipulation" often results in a yes. It should be noted that "if your product is no good, no amount of pen clicking is going to sell it".
In May 2010, the Vadalabene Center was the site for the Guinness World Record for most people clicking a pen at one time, despite attendance of only about 100 at the event.
Clicking a pen is a type of autistic stimming behavior, but it is unique in that "a person can do in public without drawing much attention to themselves," as opposed to some others which are not socially acceptable.
In popular culture
In an ad for Kohl's clothing lines, Jennifer Lopez who plays a fictionalised version of herself annoys her colleagues by pen-clicking.

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