Adult Coloring: Science Proves the Benefits

When you think about coloring, do you reminisce about your childhood and the joys you felt when you got a brand-new box of Crayola crayons? If so, you aren't alone. Coloring brought us great happiness as children, and it still captivates the minds of kids around the world today. However, there is some science to suggest that everyone should try adult coloring - regardless of age or gender.

Psychologists and the Coloring as a Therapy

In the early 20th century, a psychologist by the name of Carl G. Jung "prescribed" adult coloring to his patients as a method of relaxation. Jung suggested that his patients color mandalas, which are circular designs that are typically symmetrical and filled with small details. Coloring these patterns seemed to take patients' minds off their troubles, allowing them to relax in ways similar to meditation. Patients were better able to cope, performed better in their day-to-day duties, and experienced a better overall sense of wellbeing when they colored regularly.

What's Going On in Your Brain during Adult Coloring?

When you sit down to enjoy some adult coloring time, you aren't just acting like a kid again. Psychologist Gloria Martinez Ayala says that coloring the intricate designs found in most adult coloring books stimulates areas of the brain involved in logic and creativity. Specifically, adult coloring stimulates the cerebral cortex, which is the heart of your fine motor skills and your vision center. It also reduces the amount of activity going on in the amygdala - part of the brain that controls emotion created by stress.

Can Adult Coloring Really Relax You?

To put all this research into perspective (and layman's terms for those of us who aren't up-to-par with our anatomy lessons), when you sit down with an adult coloring book and markers, colored pencils, crayons, or any other medium, you tend to focus on that activity and not the things that worry you. Choosing colors and staying in the lines takes your attention away from stress, and this leaves you feeling calmer and more relaxed, in turn.

Getting Back to Basics

If there's one thing for certain, it's the notion that opening up an adult coloring book truly does take you back to your childhood - a time when responsibilities (and thereby worries) were relatively few. Many psychologists believe that this can subconsciously change your mood because it allows you to delve into your creative side. This makes sense when you consider the fact that most adults feel as if their lives are nothing more than routine. They are rarely provided an opportunity to be creative, even if their very jobs involve creativity.

There's something freeing about opening an adult coloring book and your favorite medium. You put your pencil, crayon, or marker to the paper, and before you know it, an hour has gone by - and you haven't thought of your worries once. If you haven't gotten in on the adult coloring craze, perhaps it's time. It only takes a few dollars to start, and once you do, you won't want to stop. That, I can promise.

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