Yahoo Lifestyle 
Colouring books: the latest wellness trend
Channelling your inner child could be the secret to lowering stress.
Why? The latest trend for calming your mind is colouring in. Currently, the top two books on Amazon are colouring in books for adults, written by the same person – Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford. Her book “The Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book” has sold 1.4 million copies worldwide, while her second book released in February, is number 2 on Amazon’s best seller list.
So why are so many adults grabbing a set of crayons? A mix of nostalgia, boosting creativity and stress relief. There’s also the social aspect, with colouring circles taking place around the world. One woman, Rebekah Jean Duthie from Queensland told the New York Times she regularly gathers with friends to colour in. “Each page can transport you back to a gentler time of life.”
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What’s more, studies have shown that older adults who do creative activities like arts and crafts can delay the development of memory problems in their old age.
One recent study, published in the journal Neurology, examined 256 participants aged between 85 and 89, all of whom had no memory-related problems at the start of the study. The group were followed for four years and they reported their engagement in creative activities, their social life and also their computer use.
People who had an artistic outlet were 73 per cent less likely to develop mind cognitive impairment than those who did not participate in creative outlets. People who did a lot of crafts like woodworking and quilting were 45 per cent less like to develop mind cognitive impairment than those who did not. Computer users were 53 per cent less likely to develop it while social adults had a 55 per cent lower risk that their antisocial peers.
While there’s still more research to be done on how it impacts mental activity, it’s the perfect excuse to get colouring.
