In these days of constant negative news describing blatant corruption by one of the most despicable political parties in history, we all need a reprieve now and then. There is one way to get that kind of break when it feels like our blood pressure is skyrocketing. And it’s so simple. Make some art.
All of us are artists. All of us are creative. But only some of us choose to use our creativity and others don’t. If you’re one of the latter—do it, or at minimum try it—if anything, for your mental health and well-being. Paint, sculpt, draw, sketch, craft, collage, cook, garden, play a musical instrument...
Nick Darlington with Lifehack writes about a study that shows:
- Music and art may have a positive effect on physiological states...In a study, art reduced negative emotions and improved positive ones.
- Art can improve overall health and well-being, by offering a form of distraction, improving self-identity and providing a social network to those with chronic illness.
- And a recent study in 2016, by Kaimal et al, entitled Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants’ Responses Following Art Making found that making art can significantly reduce stress levels, regardless of artistic talent or experience.
This data wasn’t surprising.
Girija Kaimal, EdD, tells Drexel Now:
“It wasn’t surprising because that’s the core idea in art therapy: Everyone is creative and can be expressive in the visual arts when working in a supportive setting. That said, I did expect that perhaps the effects would be stronger for those with prior experience.”
An experiment was done with 39 participants (33 women and 6 men), between the ages of 18-59. Race/color was diverse. Eighteen participants said they had limited experience with art-making. Thirteen had some experience and eight had extensive experience.
The challenge was to make art for 45 minutes. The three forms of mediums to choose from in the study, separately or combined, were collages, clay modeling and/or using markers. The participants could choose any image to make and there was an art therapist in the room for any questions.
Darlington reports saliva samples were taken from the participants before and after to test Cortisol levels. Cortisol is a “biological indicator linked to stress.” The higher the level of Cortisol, the higher the stress. The lower the level, the lower the stress.
Afterward, participants were asked to write down a brief description of their experience. One 38-year-old African-American woman wrote the following:
“It was very relaxing. After about 5 minutes, I felt less anxious. I was able to obsess less about things that I had not done or need to get done. Doing art allowed me to put things into perspective.”
The study showed that levels of Cortisol were greatly lowered in 75% of the participants by the end of the session. There was no correlation to what medium was chosen or race or gender. Interestingly, there was a greater reduction of stress in younger people than older. Kaimal explains:
“I think one reason might be that younger people are developmentally still figuring out ways to deal with stress and challenges, while older individuals — just from having lived life and being older — might have more strategies to problem-solve and manage stress more effectively.”
The time of day had some effect as well. Stress levels were higher in the morning when people wind up for the day and lower when people wind down for bed.
Kaimal plans to take this research further exploring the link between the reduction in stress levels and creative self-expression in a therapeutic environment. She also plans to look at the effect of the visual arts on the elderly and their caregivers.
Create what you like, when you like and feel better. Stress is a joy thief and can be dangerous for our health. This is one simple way of doing something good for your body and mind—while having a bit of fun. And who doesn’t want to have fun? So grab some makers, paper, playdough, an exotic recipe, a garden tool, a guitar… and make some art. Anything goes. We need to play and rest to survive. Go play and calm down.
On a different note about “calming down,” here’ s a great pro-LGBTQ, anti-bullying music video by Taylor Swift called, “You Need To Calm Down” on vevo/YouTube. Enjoy.