Arts and crafts may improve your mental health at least as much as being employed, scientists find

Can arts and crafts help protect people’s mental health? On the front lines of public health Evidence shows that enjoying our creative side can provide great happiness for anyone, and because arts and crafts are relatively affordable and easy to enjoy, increasing public access to artistic activities can greatly improve the public’s mental health.

“Crafts and other artistic activities showed a significant effect in predicting people’s sense that their life was worth living,” explained lead author Dr Helen Keyes, from Anglia Ruskin University. “Indeed, the effect of crafts was stronger than the effect of employment. Not only does crafts give a sense of achievement, they are also a meaningful outlet for self-expression, which is not necessarily the case for employment.”

Timely

Scientists have been galvanised by the urgent need to improve the public’s mental health in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: any measures that can increase well-being and reduce feelings of loneliness in the general population would be of great benefit.

Some studies have already shown that specific craft activities may have therapeutic benefits for people with mental illness. If participating in arts and crafts in general has a positive impact on the health of people without a diagnosed illness, then promoting access to arts and crafts could make a significant contribution to public mental health.

The scientists analysed a sample of 7,182 participants in the UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s annual “Taking Part” survey, which assesses the public’s engagement in cultural, digital and sporting activities. This broad sample allowed the scientists to explore the impact of the creative arts in general, rather than a specific craft, helping them to assess how effective arts-based interventions are beyond controlled clinical settings.

The scientists took into account socio-demographic variables already known to affect happiness, such as gender, age group, health, employment status and poverty level. For example, poor health, unemployment and high levels of poverty are all associated with lower happiness.

Draw a picture

All participants were asked to rate their happiness, anxiety, and life satisfaction, and to give their impression of whether their life was worth living, as well as how often they felt lonely. When asked about their involvement in crafts, 37.4% of respondents said they had taken part in at least one craft activity in the past 12 months.

People who participated in arts and crafts reported greater happiness, life satisfaction, and a stronger sense that their lives were worthwhile. Respondents’ increased sense that their lives were worthwhile was as important as getting a job. However, engagement in arts and crafts did not predict levels of loneliness. This is because some crafts can be solitary. More research is needed to explore the social aspects of arts and crafts.

“Engaging in these activities is associated with an increased sense that life is worth living and increased life satisfaction and happiness,” Keys said. “The effects on happiness were present even after controlling for factors such as employment status and poverty level. Crafts appear to have a greater positive impact on happiness than other aspects of life.”

Although these effects are small, their magnitude is similar to socio-demographic variables, which are much harder to change. Harnessing the positive effects of arts activity therefore represents a great opportunity to improve public well-being.

“Governments and national health services might consider funding and promoting craft activities, or even social prescribing such activities to people at risk, as part of their health and mental health promotion and prevention approaches,” Keys said.

“There’s definitely a lot of satisfaction in seeing the results of your work come to life,” added Keys, who enjoys DIY, especially painting and decorating. “It feels great to be able to focus on one task and get your mind moving creatively.”

However, scientists cautioned that this is a correlational study: further research will be needed to confirm causation.

“We don’t yet know for sure whether crafting directly leads to increased happiness,” Keys explains. “The next step is to do experimental studies that measure people’s happiness before and after they spend a significant amount of time crafting.”