Creative Hobbies Outshine Employment in Boosting Mental Wellbeing: New Study Finds

Innovative Research Reveals the Greater Impact of Creative Activities on Mental Wellbeing Over Employment

Anuradha Varanasi, Forbes Staff Writer

The pursuit of hobbies and crafts beyond employment may provide a more profound sense of satisfaction than one's professional work. A groundbreaking study highlights that engaging in creative activities such as arts or crafting for at least a year significantly enhances life's meaning and overall happiness compared to being employed.

Helen Keyes, lead author from Anglia Ruskin University, acknowledges the personal fulfillment derived from creating art:

“Crafting offers an avenue of self-expression that isn’t always avlable through employment,” she comments with her passion for creative eavors like pnting and decorating.

Moreover, crafting enables focused engagement with a singular task and fosters creativity, providing immense joy as one sees their work come to fruition.

This study, published in Frontiers in Public Health, underscores the unique benefits of engaging in general versus specific arts and crafts activities. It demonstrates that participation improves subjective well-being beyond factors such as ger, health status, age, employment status, and socioeconomic conditions a notable insight for the general population rather than just clinical populations.

What constitutes creative activity includes pottery making, drawing, pnting, knitting, sewing, crochet, embroidery, printmaking, sculpture, photography or filmmaking, among other forms like calligraphy, woodcarving, furniture making, jewelry making, etc.

Keyes and colleagues argue that arts and crafts are not a new intervention in mental health improvement strategies but have been known to assist with mental wellbeing issues while also enhancing subjective happiness.

With approximately 20 of the UK adult population engaging in arts and crafts annually and contributing ￡4.34 billion $5.17 billion to the economy, the global industry forecasts $50.91 billion by the of 2024.

By analyzing data from an annual survey conducted by the Department for Culture, Media Sport on UK population engagement with art and cultural activities, Keyes' team gauged participants’ well-being through surveys on happiness levels, anxiety, loneliness, life satisfaction, and a sense that their lives were worthwhile. They found that 37.4 of those who participated in at least one craft activity in the past year experienced higher scores for life satisfaction and happiness.

Unlike atting live sporting events, which has also been linked to increased well-being but reduced feelings of loneliness, Keyes notes that engaging with arts and crafts activities did not show such reductions.

Engagement with crafting and creating art is accessible and affordable, making it a popular activity among the general public. This stands in contrast to the positive impact on well-being observed from atting live sporting events.

While these well-being gns may be relatively small individually, their cumulative effect across society could potentially improve health outcomes and longevity for those involved.

By exploring the connection between arts and crafts activities and various measures of subjective well-being, this study opens a pathway for creative pursuits to become not only enjoyable hobbies but also impactful interventions in enhancing overall mental health and societal well-being.

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Anuradha Varanasi

Anuradha Varanasi is a freelance science writer specializing in the intersection of health disparities, racial inequalities, and climate change impacts. She holds an MA in journalism from Columbia University and has been a contributor to Forbes since 2017.

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