Arts and Resilience
Definition of Art
What does art mean to you?
In psychological and public health research, “art” refers to:
Creative activities in forms of visual arts (such as drawing, painting, and sculpting)
Performing arts (such as music, drama and dance)
Literature (such as writing and reading)
Culture (such as going to galleries, concerts and festivals)
Online, digital and electronic arts (such as film-making and animations) (Davies et al., 2012)
These engagements are generally classified as either:
active creation (making, drawing, playing, or performing) or
receptive participation (such as viewing art gallery exhibitions, attending theatre, or listening to music) (Trupp et al., 2025)
Research shows that different forms of art support mental health by regulating emotions, stimulating attention, promoting social connection, and finding meaning of life (Trupp et al., 2025).
Mandala Drawing and Colouring
Have you heard about the benefits of mandala art?
A mandala is a circular, symmetrical design that can be drawn or coloured.
Historically, it is linked to Buddhist traditions and further developed by Carl Jung, a Swiss Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, and is a symbol of wholeness (Davis, 2018). Recently, it is used extensively in research and therapies (Liu et al., 2020).
Studies typically involved mandala colouring and drawing by participants; some individually while others engaged collaborative work, looking into different psychological processes, such as personal mindfulness versus social connections (Liu et al., 2020).
Influence on Mental Health
Reducing stress in students
A lot of us face academic stress finding it difficult to relax, turns out even a short calming pause can make a genuine difference. In a school-based trial with 128 middle-school students participating in a study, a class acted as control (n=61) while another class was randomly assigned to either a six 30-minute session mandala-colouring programme (n=34) or a Grit-Enhancing Program (n=33) (Fan & Hui, 2025). Compared with controls, only the mandala group reported significantly lower academic stress. Even though there was no significant change in burnout, the results suggest short mandala breaks may be a good choice as quick stress resets.
Alone or Together?
Have you ever wondered whether you get more out of creating art in solitude or sharing a canvas with others?
Liu et al. (2020) studied 76 adults and compared Individual Mandala Drawing (IMD) versus Cooperative Mandala Drawing (CMD). Both formats positively influenced participants' sense of spirituality (p < 0.001), but CMD (drawing together) increased participants’ subjective wellbeing via increase in positive affect; postulated due to promotion of interpersonal relationships.
When it came to managing tough emotions, drawing alone seemed to have a bit of an edge. The study found that both group and solo mandala drawing had a significant decrease in negative affect (p=0.001). Even though both helped, the authors noted a slightly larger drop in the solo-drawing group, possibly explained by Jung’s idea that creating mandalas provided space to help people externalise and work through difficult emotions.
So, alone or together? Liu et al.’s findings say: depending on what you need. Want a mood boost and some good vibes with friends? Grab a circle and create together. Need quiet space to work through tough emotions? Go solo and let the drawing do the talking.
Wrap
Mandala drawing and colouring offer a research backed simple, accessible way to support mental well-being. Synergised with companions, it can uplift emotions via social interactions. They’re not a cure-all for burnout or complex mental health issues, but they can be a handy, wellbeing tool to keep in your back pocket.
So, shall we try creating our own piece of art? Give it a go! Here are some free mandala from www.handmade-gifts-made-easy.com ~
References
Davies, C. R., Rosenberg, M., Knuiman, M., Ferguson, R., Pikora, T., & Slatter, N. (2012, Feb 09). Defining arts engagement for population-based health research: Art forms, activities and level of engagement. Arts & Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17533015.2012.656201
Davis, J. (2018, August 24). The Mandala in Jungian Depth Psychology and Tibetan Buddhist Tantra. Springer Nature Link. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27771-9_200205-2
Fan, X., & Hui, A. N. N. (2025, March 31). Academic Stress and Burnout Reduction Through Mandala-Coloring and Grit-Enhancing: School-Based Interventions for Adolescents. PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12024132/
Liu, C., Chen, H., Liu, C.-Y., Lin, R.-T., & Chiou, W.-K. (2020, October 9). Cooperative and Individual Mandala Drawing Have Different Effects on Mindfulness, Spirituality, and Subjective Well-Being. PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7581735/
Trupp, M. D., Howlin, C., Fekete, A., Kutsche, J., Fingerhut, J., & Pelowski, M. (2025, April 15). The impact of viewing art on well-being—a systematic review of the evidence base and suggested mechanisms. Taylor & Francis Online. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2025.2481041
Comments