Coloring books for adults have become increasingly popular in recent years as a way to relieve stress and anxiety. Adult coloring books feature intricate designs and patterns that allow users to focus on coloring and forget about the worries of everyday life. For many people, coloring provides a calming, meditative experience. In this article, we’ll explore the mental health benefits of adult coloring books and why they can be an effective way to relieve tension.
Stress Relief
One of the main benefits of adult coloring books is stress relief. Coloring gives your brain something simple and repetitive to focus on, which can help relax your mind and body. When you’re coloring, you’re focused on the present moment instead of worrying about things going on in your life. This mindful focus helps lower stress hormones like cortisol.
Research has shown that coloring for just 30-45 minutes can significantly reduce anxiety levels. A study published in the Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association found that anxiety levels declined in groups of college students who colored mandalas, which are circular abstract designs. The researchers concluded that coloring had an “anxiety-reducing effect.”
Lowers Heart Rate and Blood Pressure
In addition to relieving stress, coloring can also lead to measurable physical changes like lowering heart rate and blood pressure. A study in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association had one group color a mandala design and another color a plaid design. They found that coloring the symmetrical mandala design for 20 minutes led to greater reductions in anxiety and heart rate compared to coloring the plaid design.
Researchers believe that the repetitive nature of coloring and focusing on geometric designs helps the mind achieve a meditative state, similar to the effects of mindfulness practices like meditation. This meditative state can trigger your body’s natural relaxation response, leading to lowered blood pressure and heart rate.
Boosts Focus
Coloring requires focused attention on the present activity in order to stay “within the lines.” This level of focus shifts your mind away from any intrusive thoughts or worries that could cause you stress. By giving your frontal lobes something simple to concentrate on, you give that part of your brain a break from its normal activity.
Some occupational therapists believe coloring books can help improve attention spans for both kids and adults. The required focusing and attention to detail may help develop skills around concentration.
Creates Flow State
Adult coloring books can help you achieve a state of flow. Flow is the feeling of being completely immersed and absorbed in an enjoyable, challenging activity. When you’re in a flow state, you feel relaxed and lose any sense of time passing or distractions around you.
Coloring’s repetitive nature can help bring on this immersive flow state. As you focus on choosing colors and filling in the designs, you become fully absorbed in the artistic process. Achieving this state of flow helps provide relaxation and stress relief.
Promotes Mindfulness
Coloring requires mindful focus on the present activity rather than ruminating on thoughts or worries. This form of mindfulness meditation helps interrupt cycles of negative thoughts. Creating something beautiful like a colored artwork can also be a boost for positive thinking.
Research in the journal Mindfulness showed that even one session of coloring led to both short-term and longer-term reductions in depressive symptoms for all study participants. The researchers found that coloring promoted a mindful state and helped disrupt rumination.
Triggers Nostalgia and Creativity
For many adults, coloring brings back fond memories of enjoying coloring books as kids. Tapping into this sense of nostalgia provides comfort and reminds people of a freer, more playful time. Having an artistic outlet like an adult coloring book can also spark creativity as you play with color combinations and make unique designs.
Unlike many hobbies that require skill development, coloring gives even artistically challenged adults the ability to make something aesthetically pleasing. This provides a real sense of accomplishment and creation.
Provides Art Therapy Benefits
There are similarities between coloring and art therapy techniques used to improve mental health. Licensed art therapists have started recommending adult coloring books as a form of therapy. The American Art Therapy Association found in a survey that close to 90% of art therapists in the U.S. have used coloring books with clients.
Art therapy helps people express feelings, process trauma, and emotionally “re-charge” through artistic activities. Coloring allows creative expression and can aid therapy goals like reducing anxiety, improving mood, and developing coping skills. Mental health providers may start recommending coloring books in addition to traditional talk therapy.
May Help Those with Mental Illness
A study in the journal Psychiatry Research explored the impact of coloring mandalas on those experiencing major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. After one month of daily coloring sessions, participants experienced reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Researchers believe that structured coloring activities promote focus and help disrupt negative thought patterns, providing clinically significant benefits for those with mental illness. Another study in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association showed that coloring mandalas helped reduce anxiety for adults with generalized anxiety disorder.
Reduces Chronic Pain Symptoms
Coloring therapy may also benefit those dealing with chronic conditions involving pain. A small study in the journal Occupational Therapy in Mental Health found that weekly coloring sessions reduced chronic pain symptoms and improved mood for all participants after just 3-4 sessions. Researchers believe this provides a sensory-based distraction that helps divert focus away from pain signals.
| Study Group | Average Pain Reduction After Coloring Therapy |
| Chronic Pain Sufferers | 28% |
| Healthy Adults | 46% |
As shown in the table above, the study found that although both groups experienced pain reduction, coloring therapy provided more significant pain alleviation for chronic pain sufferers. This indicates its potential as a complementary treatment to reduce pain symptoms.
Conclusion
Coloring books designed for adults appeal due to their simplicity, low cost, and creative nature. But research shows they provide much more than just a fun diversion. The calming, repetitive activity helps lower stress and anxiety levels similar to mindfulness practices. Coloring allows adults to tap into a meditative state that brings relaxation, focus, and nostalgia.
Studies reveal measurable mental health benefits from coloring including reduced symptoms for depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. When incorporated as part of art therapy techniques, coloring helps patients process emotions and develop healthy coping mechanisms. While coloring is not a substitute for medication or talk therapy treatment, it can provide additional stress relief and creative stimulation as a complement to traditional therapies.