Art Reduces Stress, artistic skill isn't a factor
Wait, I don’t need to be an artist?
Engaging in artistic activities, like painting or sculpting, has always been thought to help reduce stress, but what does the scientific research actually say?
Well, it turns out there's a growing body of evidence from well-designed studies that shows creating art can significantly lower stress levels and improve overall mental well-being.
Comparative Analysis of Art Modalities in Stress Reduction
A systematic review of 37 studies, most of which were randomized controlled trials, found that a whopping 81.1% reported a significant reduction in stress from interventions using art, music, dance, or drama.
One study with 52 participants revealed that actively creating art resulted in much higher stress reduction compared to just viewing art. Another trial with 40 psychology students discovered that focusing on positive experiences during artistic activities led to decreased stress, regardless of whether they were drawing or making collages.
In another study, they measured cortisol levels (the stress hormone) before and after 45 minutes of art-making and found that 75% of the 39 adult participants had lower levels afterward. Interestingly, there was no correlation between prior experience with art and the extent of cortisol reduction, suggesting that artistic skill isn't a major factor. Are we right?
So, whether you're into painting, sculpting, textiles, or photography, the key to reducing stress seems to be actively engaging in the creative process itself. Time to get those creative juices flowing!
references
https://www.arttherapy.org/EatingDisorderToolkit/assessingstress.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5836011/
https://sageclinic.org/blog/art-relieve-stress/
https://drexel.edu/news/archive/2016/june/art_hormone_levels_lower
