In recent years, researchers, therapists, and community organisations have been paying closer attention to something many of us have known intuitively for a long time: making things with our hands is genuinely good for us. From knitting to collage, pottery to embroidery, the evidence base for arts and crafts as a tool for mental health and wellbeing is growing — and it's compelling.
What the Research Says
A landmark 2016 study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that engaging in creative activities was associated with increased positive feeling, and feelings of flourishing the following day. Participants who spent time on creative pursuits reported higher levels of energy, enthusiasm, and a greater sense of meaning.
Similarly, a 2017 report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing in the UK — Creative Health: The Arts for Health and Wellbeing — reviewed over 3,000 studies and concluded that arts engagement can help people stay well, recover faster, and manage long-term conditions. The report called for arts and culture to be embedded across health and social care.
More recently, a 2021 review published in Frontiers in Psychology examined craft activities specifically — including knitting, sewing, and woodworking — and found consistent associations with reduced anxiety, lower stress levels, improved mood, and a greater sense of purpose and identity.
Why Does Making Things Help?
The benefits seem to come from several directions at once:
- Flow state. Craft activities often induce a state of focused absorption — what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi called "flow" — where the mind is fully engaged and intrusive thoughts recede. This is particularly helpful for anxiety and rumination.
- Tactile grounding. Working with physical materials — wool, clay, paper, fabric — engages the senses in a way that brings us into the present moment, much like mindfulness practice.
- A sense of accomplishment. Completing even a small project builds self-efficacy. When life feels out of control, making something tangible can restore a feeling of calmness, joy and happiness.
- Social connection. Crafting in groups — at community sessions, workshops, or craft circles — reduces isolation, one of the most significant contributors to poor mental health.
- Distraction and rest. The brain needs breaks from problem-solving and stress. Craft offers a legitimate, absorbing reason to step away from worries.
Crafting as Therapy
Art therapy is a well-established clinical discipline, used in NHS settings, hospices, prisons, and schools. But you don't need a therapist to benefit. Community craft groups, drop-in sessions, and informal making clubs offer many of the same protective benefits — particularly around loneliness and social isolation.
Organisations like the Campaign to End Loneliness and Age UK have championed crafting groups as low-cost, accessible interventions that work across age groups and backgrounds. For people who find talking therapies difficult, making something together can be a gentler way in.
It's for Everyone
One of the most important findings in the research is that you don't need to be skilled or "artistic" to benefit. The positive effects come from the process of making, not the quality of the result. Beginners experience just as much mood-lifting benefit as experienced crafters.
Whether it's an afternoon spent cutting and sticking, an evening knitting group, or a weekend pottery class, the act of creating something with your hands is a small but meaningful investment in your mental health.
At Solace Craft Group, this is exactly what we believe — and why we do what we do.