Coloring for Well-Being: Evidence and Applications

摘要: Adults are increasingly using coloring as a tool to reduce stress and anxiety and to enhance mindful attention. A rise in the popularity of coloring has been reflected in the production and sales of coloring books, downloadable coloring pages, and coloring apps (Vanry, 2019), as well as the use of coloring to reduce anxiety in applied settings, such as cancer wards, patient waiting rooms, care homes, university libraries, and primary schools (eg, Blackburn & Chamley, 2016; Rigby & Taubert, 2016). While evidence for the role of the visual arts in general has burgeoned, suggesting multiple health and well-being benefits (Fancourt & Finn, 2019), coloring research is relatively nascent, with studies increasing exponentially over the last few years. Unlike other forms of visual art (eg, free-form painting or drawing), coloring is highly structured and, as such, could serve specific purposes, for example, being an entry activity to …