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Relax and Unwind with Adult Coloring Books
- Aria Dana
- Oct 24, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 14, 2025
Discover the calming benefits of adult coloring books—boost creativity, ease stress, and express your artistic side today!
What are adult coloring books?
Adult coloring books are collections of intricate designs, patterns, or images intended for adults to color. Unlike children’s coloring books, they often feature complex mandalas, nature scenes, or abstract art. These books are used as a form of art therapy or relaxation, requiring no artistic skill or training, making them accessible to a wide range of people [3].
Health Benefits of Adult Coloring Books
Anxiety and Stress Reduction
Multiple randomized controlled trials show that engaging with adult coloring books can significantly reduce self-reported anxiety levels in various settings, including emergency departments and among patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) [1, 2, 3].
Coloring therapy, when combined with conventional treatments, leads to greater improvements in anxiety and positive emotions compared to standard therapy alone for GAD patients [3].
Both coloring and other graphic activities (like drawing) reduce anxiety and physiological stress markers (e.g., heart rate), with no significant difference between them, suggesting that the act of focused, creative distraction is beneficial [4].
Mood and Emotional Well-being
Coloring therapy can enhance positive mood and reduce negative emotions, especially when used alongside other treatments for anxiety and depression [3].
The activity promotes mindfulness, focus, and nonverbal self-expression, which may contribute to its therapeutic effects [3].
Accessibility and Practicality
Adult coloring is easy, safe, and does not require special skills, making it a practical option for stress management and emotional support in diverse populations [3].
Adult coloring books are accessible tools that can help reduce anxiety and improve mood, supported by clinical research. They are especially effective as part of a broader approach to mental health and are valued for their simplicity and safety.
References
Heitz, C., Morgenstern, J., Bond, C., & Milne, W. (2020). Hot Off the Press: SGEM #285—Adult Coloring for Anxiety in the Emergency Department. Academic Emergency Medicine, 27, 1353 - 1355. https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.13973.
Rajendran, N., Mitra, T., Shahrestani, S., & Coggins, A. (2020). Randomized Controlled Trial of Adult Therapeutic Coloring for the Management of Significant Anxiety in the Emergency Department.. Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.13838.
Samuel, B., Wang, H., Shi, C., Pan, Y., Yu, Y., Zhu, W., & Jing, Z. (2022). The effects of coloring therapy on patients with generalized anxiety disorder. Animal Models and Experimental Medicine, 5, 502 - 512. https://doi.org/10.1002/ame2.12256.
Turturro, N., & Drake, J. (2020). Does Coloring Reduce Anxiety? Comparing the Psychological and Psychophysiological Benefits of Coloring Versus Drawing. Empirical Studies of the Arts, 40, 3 - 20. https://doi.org/10.1177/0276237420923290.
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