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5 health benefits of creative or artistic activities

5 health benefits of creative or artistic activities
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According to a study carried out by researchers in New Zealand, regularly practicing an artistic or creative activity can be good for your health, both mentally and physically! So how does this work, and to what extent can getting creative have positive effects?

1) Doing something artistic improves your mood

As part of the New Zealand study, 658 adults were invited to let their creative juices flow every day for 13 days. Each day, the participants were reported to feel a real sense of well-being the following day. The researchers concluded from the results that practicing any artistic activity, regardless of the type, could have very positive impacts on a person’s working day and the quality of their relationships with other people.

2) It helps you to ‘let go’

Art is one of the most effective natural remedies for clearing your head, especially of the intellectual clutter that occupies your mind most of the time. When you attend a dance class, singing class or acting class for example, all of your attention is focused on the present moment, and you forget any negative things that are happening in your life or occupying your mind -at least for the duration of the class! Furthermore, moving your body awakens your senses and gives you energy.

3) Art can increase your self-confidence

Credits: Pixabay

Creative activity in general, whether it relates to painting, drawing, singing, improvisation or acting, etc., is an excellent way of breaking down barriers you may have previously thought of as unbreakable, and thus of regaining confidence in your own abilities. Certain hospitals across Europe have even started to employ art therapists who use drawing to work with children with ADHD. The results: after 7 sessions of art therapy, 72% of the children said they felt proud of themselves, 78% of them regained confidence in their abilities, 68% wanted to continue the therapy and 50% improved their social relationships.

4) Train your brain using art

According to other scientific studies, art in all forms can improve brain plasticity. Each time we start an artistic activity, new brain connections are made, according to observations on stroke victims carried out in a  Parisian hospital.

5) Art: a daily pleasure

All artistic activities bring pleasure to those who practice them, because such activities stimulate endorphins. It doesn’t matter which type of artistic activity is selected, as all types trigger positive emotions.

Source

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