Think coloring books are for children? Think again. Adult coloring books are a great way for grown-ups to express their inner artist and relieve stress. Here’s how.
Color may reduce pain and anxiety
A 2018 study, published in the journal The Arts in Psychotherapy, reviewed the experiences of 200 people hospitalized for a medical issue or surgery. The researchers found that participating in art therapy for an average of 50 minutes significantly improved their moods, and lowered levels of pain and anxiety. If you have low-level pain or anxiety, an hour of coloring just might make you feel better and calmer too. But here’s one caution: While coloring books are a beneficial self-help activity, its use is not the same as engaging with a credentialed art therapist during professional art therapy services, notes the American Art Therapy Association.
Coloring calms down the busiest of minds
Thanks to its basic, repetitive motions, coloring engages parts of the cerebral cortex while relaxing the amygdala, the brain’s fear center, and the choice of color has a lot to do with it. Cool colors like blue and green can evoke calm, while hot colors like red and orange can be energizing, according to a 2015 study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
Coloring can get rid of the dark circles under your eyes
By swapping your cellphone, tablet, or laptop for a coloring book before bed, you’ll avoid exposing yourself to the sleep-sabotaging blue light emitted by electronic devices. In a 2016 study published in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers found that children who used an electronic device at night had greater difficulty falling asleep and got less REM sleep (necessary for rest and for memory consolidation) than those who didn’t. After they woke up, device users felt sleepier and their sleepiness lasted for a longer time than non-device users.
Coloring lets you nurture your inner artist
Still have painful memories of elementary-school art class? Undo that psychic damage. Using a coloring book—especially one with intricately crafted designs—is like having a wonderful artist enlist you as a partner by asking you to shade in her or his designs. The current high priestess of coloring, Johanna Basford, declares that the people filling in her books are every bit as creative as she is.
Coloring can make you a work superstar
According to a 2019 study published in Frontiers of Neural Circuits, having a creative mind and expressing yourself is one of the keys to achieve success and make progress in various aspects of your life, including professional, personal, and social. What better way to start than coloring, says Maksimow.
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Source: TheHealthy
