Are Bean Bag Chairs Full of Beans

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If by "full of beans" you mean metaphorically lyrical and light hearted, and full of life, then of course they are. But if you mean, are they made of real beans, like the edible varieties? Then no, they're not. Bean bag chairs are full of "beads" and are 100% whimsical.
No, bean bag chairs are not like those clever little bean filled toys you made in childhood when you went to girl scout or boy scout camp. Remember those? You would fill a small cloth bag with hard beans and stitch it closed. Those bags were great fun to toss around, and they're still a good idea for toys.
The traditional bean bag chair is typically filled with polystyrene beads. They call them "beads", not beans. These beads make an excellent filling because they are light weight and texturally airy. They are resilient and very comfortable. They resist compression, and they conform to your body providing comfy, cozy seating that will allow you to flop down on your chair and stay there, totally content for hours. Read books, write books,Ladies' Seiko Watch, take a nap, watch several movies. All the while, your limbs are relaxed and your back is comfortably supported. Guess that's why they say that bean bag chairs are ergonomically sound.
If you decide to make your own bean bag chair, then don't opt for real beans. Keep the limas in the stew. Real beans would not be as comfortable anyway, and there would be the potential for a pest invasion, such as rodents thinking your chair is dinner. Instead, seek out a good, reliable resource for polystyrene beads. But better still, just buy an already manufactured bean bag chair.
Polystyrene is the material most commonly used in the manufacture of bean bag chairs. It's also known by the brand name "Styrofoam." Technically, polystyrene beads are plastic combined with chemicals, which produces an expandable resin called EPS. This resin is heated only to the point of producing light weight beads that are used as filling for the chairs. More than just the right amount of heat would produce hard beads. Comfort and practicality are the objectives of this style chair.
Many of us today are environmentally conscientious. There is good news for us. A superb advantage of polystyrene is that it provides an excellent use for recycled plastics. All the plastic containers that you take to the transfer stations are used to make this material. "Recycled" beads are the same quality, provide the same longevity and comfort as "virgin" beads.
Because polystyrene is not biodegradable, it makes sense to look for a filling that is made from recycled plastic, especially since it is impossible to tell the difference between recycled and virgin in quality and performance.
There are different bead constructions. Some polystyrene is ground up then sorted to get uniform size beads. Some beads are just smashed. Some chairs are filled with a combination of smashed and uniform polystyrene beads. Many people feel that a combination of smashed and uniform beads would compress less, would stand up for longer periods of time, and would conform better to the body. Hence, it would be the most comfortable construction. I tend to think the difference is probably subtle.
There is another material being used now to fill bean bag chairs. It's a high density foam that is reputed to be extremely comfortable. It conforms to the body and it springs back. If you are interested in knowing my opinion, from an aesthetic point of view, I think foam filled chairs are too structured, and lose the whole reason for this style chair in the first place. If anything, I would prefer a combination of polystyrene and foam pieces.
Now that you are technically involved, becoming acquainted with the materials used in the manufacture of your bean bag chair, you will see the clear reason these chairs are so comfortable. They absolutely conform to the contours of your body for comfy, cozy support while you relax your entire body into a whole range of positions.