A Craft a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

You’ve probably heard the popular saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Well, you might be surprised to hear that art has just as many health benefits as apples.

Perhaps, at this point, you are thinking that art isn’t your “thing.” Maybe you are starting to have flashbacks to when you once tried to draw a self portrait in school without success. You may be wondering why it important and just how much of an effect can it have on your day-to-day life… or your health for that matter.  

However, whether you are an experienced artist or think you aren’t artistic, art has been shown to have incredible, lasting health benefits, impacting your overall mental, physical and emotional well-being. With art, you don’t have to create a masterpiece. In fact, it really isn’t about the product at all, but rather the process. Much of art, like anything else, is a learned skill, and if you engage in art frequently, you will see your artwork improve also, along with your health.

Here are the top five ways art can make an impact on your health:

• • Art has been scientifically proven to lower stress and anxiety.
    According to a 2016 study in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, study participants’ levels of stress were reduced after engaging in an art project for just 45 minutes. Participants were found to have less cortisol, a stress-linked hormone, after the art session, no matter what their level of experience or confidence with art in the past. Another study from the University of Westminster revealed that just looking at art can reduce stress! The study showed that participants that went to an art gallery for 35 minutes during their lunch break to observe the art had less cortisol in their system compared to the group that did not go to the art gallery.

• Art has been proven to help us form pathways, or synapses, in our brains.
  The esteemed scientific journal PLOS ONE published a study stating that art actually improves the pathways within the brain. Creating art can have a permanent, deep, neurological effect on how your brain processes the world and stimulus around us.
  
  In a study with retirees, the group of retirees that created art demonstrated “improved psychological resilience and increased brain activity” compared to the other group. The actual, cognitive effects of art have been documented as scientists continue to uncover findings about the impact art has on brain health.

• Art has been proven to reduce levels of depression.
  In addition to reducing levels of stress and anxiety, studies have shown that levels of depression are reduced as well when subjects are creating art. Check out more studies on the link between decreased depression and art on the American Psychological Association website.

• Art can help with our memory and ability to recall information.
  A study published in the Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology revealed that participants that doodled during a phone call were able to recall 29% more information than those that didn’t. Art therapy has been gaining ground in recent years as a way to actively combat diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.  

• Art can help with attention and behavioral issues.
  Art has been scientifically shown to have a profound effect on child development in particular. Engaging in art can reduce hyperactivity, emotional and cognitive challenges and childhood depression.  

 

If you incorporate art into your daily routine like you do apples into your diet, you’ll be setting yourself up for a healthy, long, fulfilling life.

For more information on the health benefits of creating art, click here. Start by taking small steps toward incorporating art into your everyday, such as daily doodling, taking a pottery class or ordering a Art With Friends art party box with all the materials you need to make a unique creation. Whatever you do, incorporate art to make a lasting impact.