Arts and crafts can greatly improve public well-being

A new study has provided evidence that engaging in arts and crafts could significantly improve our well-being. Since such artistic activities are relatively affordable and accessible to many people, promoting the general public’s access to them could offer a major boost to public mental health.

“Crafting and other artistic activities showed a meaningful effect in predicting people’s sense that their life is worthwhile,” explained lead author Helen Keyes, a scientist at Anglia Ruskin University. 

“Indeed, the impact of crafting was bigger than the impact of being in employment. Not only does crafting give us a sense of achievement, it is also a meaningful route to self-expression. This is not always the case with employment.”

The arts and public well-being 

The experts initiated this study inspired by the urgent need to increase public mental health after the Covid-19 pandemic. In the wake of the pandemic, any measures which could improve well-being and lower loneliness in the general population would have significant benefits. 

Since previous studies have already shown that specific crafts may be therapeutic for individuals with mental health issues, promoting general accessibility to artistic activities could contribute significantly to public mental health.

Focus of the research 

The researchers used a sample of 7,182 participants from the annual Taking Part survey conducted by the UK’s Department for Culture, Media, and Sport. This survey evaluates public engagement with cultural, digital and sporting activities. 

Such a broad sample allowed the investigators to assess the impact of creative arts in general rather than specific crafts, a method allowing them to evaluate how effective arts-based interventions could be beyond a controlled clinical setting.

The research team controlled for several sociodemographic variables that could affect well-being, including gender, age, health, employment status, and level of deprivation. For example, poor health, unemployment, and increased levels of deprivation have previously been associated with lower levels of well-being.

Participants were asked to rate their feelings of happiness, life satisfaction, and anxiety, and to provide their option of whether life is worthwhile. Moreover, they were also questioned on how often they felt lonely. 

Finally, when asked about their involvement in creative activities, 37.4% of the respondents confirmed that they had taken part in at least one arts or crafts activity over the last year.

Impact of creative arts on well-being 

The analysis revealed that participants who engaged in arts and crafts had increased levels of happiness and life satisfaction, along with a stronger sense that their lives were worthwhile. This boost to their sense that life is worthwhile was as significant as that resulting from being in employment. 

Nevertheless, taking part in arts and crafts activities failed to predict levels of loneliness, most likely because some crafts can be solitary. Further research is needed to analyze the social aspects of arts and crafts.

“Engaging in these activities is linked with a greater sense that life is worthwhile, increased life satisfaction and happiness,” said Keyes. 

“The well-being effects were present even after we accounted for things like employment status and level of deprivation. It seems that crafting can contribute positively to your well-being above and beyond these other aspects of your life.”

Using arts and crafts to improve well-being 

Although such effects are rather small, their magnitude remains similar to that of various sociodemographic variables, which are much harder to change. Thus, leveraging the positive effects of artistic activities could provide a major opportunity to improve public well-being.

“Governments and national health services might consider funding and promoting crafting, or even socially prescribing these activities for at-risk populations, as part of a promotion and prevention approach to well-being and mental health,” Keyes explained.

“There is certainly something immensely satisfying about seeing the results of your work appear before your eyes. It feels great to focus on one task and engage your mind creatively.”

However, since this has been a correlational study, further research is necessary to confirm causation.

“We can’t know for certain whether crafting is directly causing this increase in well-being,” said Keyes. “The next step would be to carry out an experimental study where we measure people’s well-being before and after significant periods of crafting.”

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