Wednesday 6 December 2017

Colouring books for adults benefit mental health, study suggests

an article by Eleanor Ainge Roy published in the Guardian

Colouring books for adults benefit mental health, scientists suggest.
Colouring books for adults benefit mental health, scientists suggest.
Photograph: Adrian Sherratt for the Guardian

The adult colouring book craze has thereupeutic mental health benefits, New Zealand researchers have found, including reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Colouring-in books for adults first caught on two years ago with bookshops around the globe devoting shelves to the generally childhood pursuit, and titles like The Secret Garden topping Amazon’s bestseller list.

Adult fans of colouring-in described the hobby as a calming relaxation tool with nostalgic undertones that they used to express creativity and unplug from the digital and screen heavy modern world.

Now, psychology researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand have found there are definite mental health gains for adults colouring-in for as little as 10 minutes a day.

The study, published in the Creativity Research Journal, found the unusual past-time could potentially be used as an accessible and cheap self-help tool to manage some symptoms of poor mental health.

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