Promising evidence supports 'crafting for wellbeing'
Posted on in Creative News
According to research released by the Craft Yarn Council this year, 10% of knitters said they knitted for 'therapy' or for stress relief - a statistic that looks set to grow as studies into the subject become better known.
It's a craft which once suffered a less than glamorous reputation, but knitting has been gaining popularity in recent years, and for good reason.
New studies continue to affirm that knitting - and crafting in general - can actually act as a natural anti-depressant, as well as reduce stress and even protect your brain from ageing.
In a recent investigation as part of its Inside Your Brain series, CNN found that knitting can even be an effective treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as well as helping those who suffer from anxiety, depression or chronic pain.
Little research has been done specifically on crafting, but neuroscientists are beginning to see how studies on cognitive activities such as doing crossword puzzles might also apply to someone who does complex quilting patterns. Others are drawing connections between the mental health benefits of meditation and the zen reached while painting or sculpting.
"There's promising evidence coming out to support what a lot of crafters have known anecdotally for quite some time," says Catherine Carey Levisay, a clinical neuropsychologist and wife of Craftsy.com CEO John Levisay. "And that's that creating - whether it be through art, music, cooking, quilting, sewing, drawing, photography (or) cake decorating -- is beneficial to us in a number of important ways."
Occupational therapist Victoria Schindler explains: 'The repetitive motions of knitting, for example, activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which quiets that "fight or flight" response.'
In a 2007 paper "The neurological basis of occupation," Schindler and co-author Sharon Gutman argue that patients could learn to use activities such as drawing or painting to elicit flow, which would offer a nonpharmaceutical way to regulate strong emotions such as anger or prevent irrational thoughts.
There's also survey evidence to support crafting's dopamine effect (the bodies natural anti-depressant). In one study of more than 3,500 knitters, published in The British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 81% of respondents with depression reported feeling happy after knitting.
The sense of accomplishment achieved after hand-crafting something special has also been shown to reward pleasure pathways in the brain.
Scientists are beginning to study leisure activities' impact on the brain. Playing games, reading books and crafting could reduce your chances of developing mild cognitive impairment by 30% to 50%, according to a 2011 study published in The Journal of Neuropsychiatry.
As an ex senior physiotherapist Betsan Corkhill is intrigued by the idea of crafting for wellbeing, leading her to seek out evidence of the effects that crafting can have on people. What she has discovered has led to the birth of Stitchlinks, which promotes the use of creative activities to enhance health and personal wellbeing. Her continued search for even more evidence could have global implications and a massive, positive impact on wellbeing.
As a direct result of the ongoing work that Betsan is doing with academics and clinicians, therapeutic knitting and therapeutic knitting groups are being formally acknowledged by leading clinicians and academics for their benefits in mainstream healthcare.
Establishing an even greater evidence-base for the use of Therapeutic Knitting as a tool for wellbeing and health management could ensure a thriving future for the knitting industry which is independent of market and fashion trends worldwide.
ActSmart are wholly committed to supporting Stitchlinks research and benefits to personal wellbeing and the creative industry. ActSmart makes a contribution from every creative business's subscription towards Stitchlinks.