Studies have shown that certain activities, such as exercising, listening to music, and even spending money on someone else help make you a happier person. But did you know a recent survey revealed that crocheting can also improve your well-being?
According to a study by Pippa Burns and Rosemary Van Der Meer of the University of Wollongong Australia, crocheting can actually help improve your mental health, including feeling calmer and happier. It also helped improve concentration and memory.
Who Was Included in the Study?
The University’s study surveyed more than 8,000 people (99% of the respondents were female) about their crocheting activities. And a majority (77%) of those involved in the survey said they crochet most days and sometimes every day.
Does Crocheting Really Improve Mental Well-Being?
After analyzing study results, Burns and Van Der Meer uncovered a number of interesting mental health benefits that directly correlated to the act of crocheting, including:
- 90% said they felt calmer as a result of crocheting.
- 82% said crocheting made them feel happier.
- More than 70% felt as though the act of crocheting helped improve both their concentration and memory.
“The results from the survey show that crocheting provides many positive benefits for people in terms of wellbeing,” Burns told Better Homes & Gardens. “Being aware that crocheting can provide positive benefits may encourage people to take up the hobby as a self-care strategy.”
Crocheting Helps Minimize Anxiety and Other Conditions
The study results underscore other studies that found certain extracurricular activities, like crocheting, can help individuals with conditions such as anxiety, insomnia, and depression. For instance, the Craft Yarn Council revealed that you can minimize anxiety by crocheting because you are focusing just on the project at hand, instead of a variety of other tasks and worries.
Plus, American Counseling Association said that because most crocheting projects require only simple, repetitive motion, it helps battle insomnia.
The bottom line is that crafting activities can help ease stress.
“There’s promising evidence coming out to support what a lot of crafters have known anecdotally for quite some time,” Catherine Carey Levisay, a clinical neuropsychologist and wife of Craftsy.com CEO John Levisay, told CNN. “And that’s that creating — whether it be through art, music, cooking, quilting, sewing, drawing, photography (or) cake decorating — is beneficial to us in a number of important ways.”
Celebrities Who Crochet
Crocheting has even attracted some well-known celebrities, according to Stitch & Unwind, including:
- Madonna
- Meryl Streep
- Rebecca Romijn
- Cher
- Eva Longoria
- Bette Davis
- Vanna White
- Aretha Franklin
- Trisha Yearwood
- Jane Seymour
- Catherine Zeta-Jones
- Debra Messing
- Carolyn Rhea
- Laura Ingalls Wilder
Other Free Activities to Help You Feel Happier
Crocheting is only one activity that can help you feel happier and more fulfilled with life. Here are some suggestions about activities that can help increase happiness for free:
- Spend time with your family.
- Take a walk.
- Meditate
- Go for a run.
- Listen to music.
- Sing
- Make a list of things you are grateful for.
- Spend time with your pet.
- Piant
- Watch a funny movie.
- Volunteer your time.
- Garden
- Enjoy the blue sky.
- Call a friend.
- Read a book.
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For even more activities that help increase happiness, check out this story.
If you’re looking for a relaxing and creative hobby that doesn’t cost a fortune, consider crocheting, a hobby that applies to those of all ages and genders.
Source: Better Homes & Gardens
