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Can Coloring Mandalas Reduce Anxiety?

2005; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 22; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/07421656.2005.10129441

2159-9394

Nancy A. Curry, Tim Kasser,

Art Education and Development

This study examined the effectiveness of different types of art activities in the reduction of anxiety. After undergoing a brief anxiety-induction, 84 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to color a mandala, to color a plaid form, or to color on a blank piece of paper. Results demonstrated that anxiety levels declined approximately the same for the mandala- and plaid-coloring groups and that both of these groups experienced more reduction in anxiety than did the unstructured- coloring group. These findings suggest that structured coloring of a reasonably complex geometric pattern may induce a meditative state that benefits individuals suffering from anxiety.