Coloring books have been found to reduce stress and promote relaxation
The images in coloring books are usually premade, so creative energy is placed in the catharsis of repetitive coloring strokes to complete a picture.
Medical Daily shared an article about the therapeutic science of coloring in which Dr. Stan Rodski, a neuropsychologist (specializing in brain performance), says that “coloring elicits a relaxing mindset, similar to what you would achieve through meditation.” The neuropsychologist further mentions that “like meditation, coloring allows us to switch off our brains from other thoughts and focus on the moment. Tasks with predictable results, such as coloring or knitting, can often be calming.”
Dr. Rodski used advanced technology to see what actually happens to our bodies and brains when we color.
“The most amazing things occurred — we started seeing changes in heart rate, changes in brainwaves.”
“There are three key elements:
- Repetition,
- Pattern,
- and Detail,
that prompt positive neurological responses in participants.
When you have things that you can predict will happen in a certain way, it’s calming for us.”
So coloring is a form of meditation: and as well as when you meditate, your brain enters a relaxed state by focusing on the present and blocking out the nonstop thinking we all experience; you reach a state of calm that relieves your brain from the daily stress.
A study published in the Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association also provides support that coloring mandalas or geometric patterns actually do help lower stress and anxiety levels.
Not only: Piedmont Healthcare highlights that as you “relax, your brain lowers activity in the amygdala, which is responsible for our fight-or-flight stress response that can lead to inflammation.”
So, do Coloring Apps work the same way?
Coloring helps a lot to unwind from the stress of our days, especially after spending too much time in front of electronic devices.
Coloring is supposed to be relaxing and even be free of electronics.
Cause… you know what?
Electronic screens are not particularly suited to be combined with relaxation techniques.
This is why coloring apps are somewhat conceptually absurd; they are missing the point of coloring all together!
People choose to do coloring when they’ve had their fill of technology and screen time and need to step away.
Some people color when they are experiencing insomnia to calm their minds and help them get back to sleep.
Using an app, sure it wouldn’t have the same effects.
Let’s see what we are talking about…
Electronic screens light up your brain: they are not relaxing at all!
Researchers have long known that high light exposure can reduce the effect of melatonin which causes sleepiness in the human brain.
Recently released research evidence shows that blue light emitted by electronic screens (wavelengths in the range of 460-480nm) blocks melatonin (a hormone that influences the circadian rhythm) better than other visible wavelengths and can reprogram the brain to delay the onset of sleep.
Neurons in our retinas are tuned to respond maximally to this kind of light; they send a message to the brain:
Wake up, be alert. It’s daytime!
And, in case you’re wondering, YES, alertness is triggered even when lighting levels are dim.
The exciting and sometimes distressing content of electronic media may do the same, prompting children and adults to fall asleep later, and perhaps even awaken during the night.
Too much screen time can lead to:
- obesity,
- sleep problems,
- chronic neck and back problems,
- depression,
- anxiety,
- lower test scores in children.
In experiments on adults, researchers have found that youth matters: given the same exposure to blue light, younger individuals tend to experience more sleep disruption (Gabel et al 2017).
So children should limit screen time to 1 to 2 hours per day.
Adults should try to limit screen time outside of work hours.
Conclusions
Coloring Apps are great if you like them and if you find them funny!
But if you need a way to relax, then nothing can compare to a good old-fashioned Coloring Book (on paper).
