Ever since I was a child, I have always enjoyed coloring. My mom has told me stories of how, even at a young age, I was able to color inside the lines of the endless coloring books I went through.
As I grew up, I continued to find myself coloring. I wasn't using the same books as I did in my earlier years. Instead, I would doodle my own designs and color them in. To my surprise, when I entered my first years of college, I noticed there were a lot of coloring books in stores, and they weren't made for kids - they were being marketed towards adults.
I was ecstatic.
I didn't have to go to the children's aisle anymore to find a decent coloring book. Now I could find fun, challenging, and age appropriate coloring books for myself. But it got me thinking, why is it that coloring is something that transcends age limits? Why did I, and so many others, continue to find a desire to break out their crayons and fill in some design on a piece of paper?
As it turns out, there are actually many proven benefits of coloring. Thanks to scientific studies, we can see now that the act of coloring brings about a handful of positive side effects. These include, but are not limited to:
1. Reduce Anxiety- In a 2005 study, researchers found that participants who colored a mandala, or plaid, pattern for 20 minutes ended up having a lower level of anxiety than they did when they began the study. This was compared to participants who just colored on a blank piece of paper, which was found to have no affect on anxiety levels.
“There is no must in art because art is free.”
-Wassily Kandinsky
2. Increase Focus- While coloring, you activate frontal parts of the brain which can improve your ability to focus and problem solve. The combination of concentrating on what colors you will use and what the overall design will look like, all while practicing your fine motor skills, results in a increased level of focus.
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
-Vincent Van Gogh
3. Practice Mindfulness- It is said that coloring has similar effects to meditation. Having to focus on the coloring, you are forced to become present in that moment. You don't have time to think of any negative or stressful thoughts. Rather, you come to a place of calm and mindful thinking. This can be very beneficial as meditation and mindful activities have been shown to lower stress and allow people to become more present in their lives.
“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.”
-Kurt Vonnegut
4. Feeling of Accomplishment- For me, one of the greatest benefits I get from coloring is the feeling of accomplishment. It may be a small feat, but I love that moment when I color in the final section of the design. Seeing the complete picture in front of me gives me that sense of completeness.
“An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one.”
-Charles Horton Cooley
No matter what your reason for coloring is, I hope you know the many benefits you are receiving from doing this simple task. If you haven't hopped on board the coloring train, then maybe you'll try it out now. Either way, we should all have an activity that calms us down and brings us happiness. Mine happens to be coloring, and maybe now that will be yours, too.
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Pablo Picasso
