The arts can have a considerable positive impact on our health and well-being. If we know how to use them therapeutically, the arts can be great allies in helping us reduce stress and anxiety as well as create space for more positive emotions.
Here are some research facts that back up the therapeutic effect of art:
- You don’t have to be great, or even good, to benefit from art-making
- Art-making induces us into a meditative state that reduces judgment and increases perspective-taking as well as self-efficacy, coping capacity and emotional regulation
- People who engage in arts or cultural activities at least twice a week tend to report greater life satisfaction
- Throughout the day, we receive a lot of information, and the arts, due to their nature, allow us to process emotions and even access what is on our subconscious
- The act of colouring for 20 minutes reduces stress and anxiety (download free Zineful editions to start colouring today)
- Colouring is a structured activity, providing a sense of order amidst intense emotions and feelings
- Doodling, colouring, and free drawing activate the pre-frontal cortex, the area that helps us focus and find meaning
- Drawing stimulates multiple regions in the brain, including the areas responsible for verbal communication and making it easier for us to find words to describe our experiences
- Programs that tackle trauma and which include drawing as an early intervention can reduce PTSD symptoms by more than 80%
- When we tap into personal and emotional stories through writing, we can address and attenuate both mental and physical ailments
You can learn more about these facts and research in the recently published book "Your Brain on Art", which I strongly recommend if you are an Art and Neuroscience lover.
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