People tend to consider colouring a young person’s pastime, but maybe that reveals more about us as adults. Why do we let kids have all the fun? Why, societally, do we put an age limit on unbridled creativity and structured play? And importantly, why do we assume that pastimes traditionally associated with childhood can’t carry over any benefits into adulthood?
Thankfully, more people are confronting those questions head-on. More adults are dipping their toes into the fun, calming world of colouring books. At the same time, more researchers are picking up the subject as an area of interest, finding new cognitive and social benefits by the minute.
In this article, explore six unexpected benefits of adult colouring books—that you may not know about!
When it’s time to capitalize on these benefits, head to a well-stocked online art supply store like Above Ground Art Supplies to find colouring books, pencil crayons, and/or pens suited to your interests and skill level.
Colouring books are all about expressing creativity within a pre-set template. As such, you can be as exacting or free-form as you like. You can colour within the lines, taking your mind off of worrisome thoughts and concentrating on the physical movement of the drawing utensil. Or you can let it all out on the page, blurring lines and venting your frustrations. Either way, as research shows, colouring books are fantastic for destressing—something most adults could use.
As WebMD points out, pulling their research from peer-reviewed sources, colouring books can “improve your brain’s ability to function.” They go on to elaborate that colouring activates different parts of the brain’s cerebral hemispheres, including areas involved in logic. They also help your mind achieve a meditative state. These activations sharpen concentration and cognition, while also allowing you to practice a kind of mindfulness built around focusing on the present.
Many may not know this, but motor skill development is a lifelong educational pursuit—it doesn’t stop with adolescence. We are continually perfecting the small ways in which we move and manipulate objects. Colouring within small areas and lines while holding a colouring utensil allows you to hone these fine motor skills.
Several cafes, bars, and community centres offer adult colouring sessions, which can be an excellent way to meet people with the same emotional and creative objectives. Striking up a relaxed conversation around colouring can be relatively easy since (as we covered above) colouring is naturally destressing.
If you can’t find a place offering sessions, you can always create your own colouring night, inviting friends, colleagues, family, or acquaintances to share in the joy.
Too often, the adult world is built on systems of risk and reward—competition, in other words. Even pursuits like writing, art, and wellness can be tied up in commercial success or competition. Colouring books push past all of that. They allow you to express creativity and explore yourself in a low-stakes environment, which can have roundly beneficial impacts on mental health.
Get in touch with your youthful side. If you’re looking for a fulfilling pastime that helps you relax, be social, improve your focus, and hone your skills, look no further than the humble colouring book.
Photo: yfootan via Freepik
