Painting by numbers is a very popular hobby right now. And it’s no surprise why. Very similar to adult coloring books and puzzles, painting by numbers as a hobby has many mental, emotional and intellectual health benefits. Painting by numbers is a stress-free activity that relaxes the amygdala – the brain’s fear center – and gives your mind the rest it needs. But painting by numbers also has other indirect benefits.
1. REDUCES STRESS AND ANXIETY
It’s a busy world… family, work (or lack of work), school, it can be overwhelming, making ridiculous demands on our lives and well-being. Adult paint by numbers kits allows us to sit back and just breathe. We can do it alone or with a small group and feel the stress disappear.
Like meditation, painting by numbers also allows us to turn our brains off from other thoughts and focus on the moment, thus easing free-floating anxiety. It can be especially effective for people who are uncomfortable with more creative expressive art forms. People who are more guarded find a lot of peace in painting by numbers. It feels safer and it creates containment around their process.
2. TRAIN YOUR BRAIN TO FOCUS
Paint by numbers helps to engage the brain in being able to develop and follow patterns, so there is a logic to it. It is a self-induced state of focus.
The action of painting by numbers implies both logic and creativity. We use logic in reading the pattern by choosing a symbol and finding the corresponding color of the graph. This activates the analytical part of the brain. On the other hand, when we put the tiles on the canvas to create the pattern, we activate the creative side of the brain. This helps integrate both areas of the cerebral cortex that control vision and aid in coordination and fine motor skills.
3. HELPS YOUR FINE MOTOR TECHNIQUE
Focusing on a task over a long period of time has been shown to improve concentration and hand-to-eye coordination. Since the boxes are only small, a lot of eye-hand coordination is needed and developed to pick up the tiles with the tools to place them on the canvas. Also check, van Gogh paint by numbers
4. INCREASES YOUR SOCIAL CIRCLES
Community is something we all need and from what has been collected it is important to many of us in the painting by numbers world. The internet has contributed a lot to that. There are painting by numbers groups everywhere: Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr to name a few. These online groups are especially important for those who are at home due to various issues. It’s an amazing sense of unity for someone to say, “Hey, I get it, I love doing that too.” It makes us realize how connected we really are.
5. HELPS SPARK CREATIVITY
Painting by numbers also stimulates the brain in the right hemisphere, which is associated with creativity. Everyone needs a creative outlet of one form or another because it’s such a great form of stress relief. With painting by numbers you can create beautiful works of art without having an artistic bone in your body with the easy-to-follow patterns.
With painting by numbers you can create beautiful works of art without having an artistic bone in your body with the easy-to-follow patterns. Do you notice that painting by numbers also improves your health? Let us know in the comments!