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In recent years, one of the fastest-growing entertainment industries has been coloring.
Today, the urge to color has taken precedence in the adult world.
However, adult coloring books, as the niche market has been labeled, are not your typical cartoon character, fill-in-the lines books, but books made up of fantastic artwork and intricate patterns and lines. The market of adult coloring books has become so popular that almost every store from dollar stores to high-end craft stores has some featured on their shelves.
But the question is, why the rage?
The answer is that these books calm rage, and anxiety, and any other myriad conditions of stress that adults face.
Studies by an association that researches the effects of art on the mental psyche show that coloring is good for the human body and spirit.
While coloring isn’t the same as expressing oneself through creating art, the results of using coloring as a form of therapy are remarkably similar to those used in art therapy.
Art therapy itself is defined as therapy designed to give people greater access to their emotions through the creation of art.
The idea of art therapy originated in the 1940s. Coloring as a form of therapy did not garner much research until the 1990s.
Coloring has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety levels in adults, according to modern-day studies.
Within the past ten years, increasing studies on the correlation between coloring and stress have been conducted, with the results showing that coloring helps by allowing adults to shut down outside thoughts and external stressors.
As a result, in the past two years, it has gained widespread popularity, so much so that Crayola, the leading maker in crayons, came up with its own line of coloring books specifically geared toward adults.
Coloring has also been shown to increase a sense of purposefulness by channeling a person’s focus.
Even doing something as simple as using a colored pencil over a crayon can increase a person’s focus, as the coloring books usually have complicated patterns that require precision.
Also, adult coloring books weigh in at a variety of price ranges, starting at five dollars to as expensive as $25.
The benefits of art therapy are now being extended to adult coloring books, which have been proven to assist in lower levels of stress and anxiety. The best thing about coloring is that it does not take a great deal of artistic talent. To start on your very own adult coloring journey, visit this website.
