Benefits of colouring for adults: what the research actually says

By Colouring Nest · Published 28 October 2026 · Sources checked 28 October 2026

A handful of small experiments suggest that colouring can reduce anxiety in the short term and may lift mood, and one New Zealand study found lower depressive symptoms after a week of daily colouring. But the evidence is modest: most studies are short, involve university students, and measure feelings straight after a session. A 2022 review found that colouring mandalas worked no better than free drawing. So colouring is a pleasant, cheap and easy way to relax, not a treatment for anxiety or depression.

What the studies found

Curry and Kasser (2005). In Can Coloring Mandalas Reduce Anxiety?, 84 undergraduate students were made anxious with a short task, then coloured a mandala, coloured a plaid pattern, or coloured freely on blank paper. Anxiety fell by about the same amount after the mandala and the plaid, and both fell more than after blank paper. The authors suggested that colouring a structured design may help people settle.

van der Vennet and Serice (2012). This replication study repeated the experiment and found that the mandala reduced anxiety more than the plaid or blank paper. So the two studies agree that structured colouring helped, but disagree on whether mandalas are special.

Eaton and Tieber (2017). In The Effects of Coloring on Anxiety, Mood, and Perseverance, 85 undergraduates either chose their own colours or copied the colours of a finished picture. Choosing freely led to a bigger drop in anxiety and signs of more perseverance.

Flett and colleagues, University of Otago (2017). In Sharpen Your Pencils, 104 female university students were randomly assigned to colour or to do logic puzzles every day for a week. The colouring group reported fewer depressive symptoms and less anxiety afterwards; the puzzle group did not. The authors called it preliminary evidence and suggested colouring may be a cheap, accessible self-help tool for people who are not clinically unwell.

What the reviews say

Støre and Jakobsson (2022). This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled eight randomised studies with 578 adults and compared mandala colouring with free drawing. Mandala colouring did not reduce anxiety significantly more than free drawing. The authors also found that the less precise studies reported bigger effects, a sign that the literature may lean towards positive results.

Liu and colleagues (2026). A meta-analysis of nine randomised trials with 648 people aged 55 and over found that mandala-based art activities were associated with lower anxiety and depressive symptoms than control conditions. The trials varied a lot, though, and the activities included more than colouring, so the result is encouraging rather than settled.

The limits of the evidence

Small, similar samples. Most studies used 50 to 160 university students; the Otago study included only women. Results may not hold for older adults, men, or people with anxiety disorders.
Short time frames. Many measured anxiety minutes after a single session. We know little about whether regular colouring helps over months.
Self-report. Anxiety and mood were measured with questionnaires, which are useful but can be influenced by what people expect.
Artificial stress. Several studies made people anxious first with a writing task, which is not the same as everyday worry.
Few strong comparisons. Colouring often beat doing nothing or blank paper, but other calm activities, such as free drawing, may work about as well.

So what does this mean in practice?

If you enjoy colouring, the research gives no reason to stop and some reason to think it helps you unwind. A few practical takeaways:

Pick what you like. The Eaton and Tieber study suggests choosing your own colours matters more than following a scheme.
Any structured design works. Mandalas aren't magic; patterns, flowers or stained glass may do just as well.
Short and regular is realistic. The Otago study used daily colouring for a week. Ten to twenty minutes a day is easy to keep up.
Put the phone away. Part of the appeal is a single, absorbing task with no notifications.
Know when to get help. If anxiety or low mood is affecting daily life, talk to your GP or a mental health professional. Colouring can sit alongside that support, not replace it.

Is colouring a form of mindfulness or art therapy?

Not in itself. Art therapy is delivered by a trained therapist. Colouring can be done mindfully, by paying close attention to the colours and the movement of the pen, and some studies add mindfulness instructions, but colouring a page at the kitchen table is simply a relaxing hobby. That's a perfectly good reason to do it.

Questions people ask

Does colouring help with anxiety?

Several small experiments found that colouring reduced anxiety for a short time after a session, and one week-long study found less anxiety in a daily colouring group. The studies are small and short-term, so treat colouring as a way to relax, not a treatment for an anxiety disorder.

Are mandalas better than other colouring pages?

Probably not. One study found mandalas and plaid patterns worked about equally well, another found mandalas worked better, and a 2022 meta-analysis found mandala colouring was no better than free drawing.

How long should adults colour to feel the benefit?

Studies have used single sessions of about 20 minutes and daily colouring over a week. There is no proven dose; ten to twenty minutes is a realistic amount to enjoy regularly.

Why is colouring good for adults?

It is a simple, absorbing activity with a clear task and no wrong answers, which many people find calming. Research suggests short-term benefits for anxiety and mood, though the studies are small.