Through
One Hundred Dollars a Month's recent post on "Knitting for Health", Mavis brought up an interesting idea. In her post she linked to a recent
TreeHugger article "Don't Stop Knitting! It keeps you healthy." written by Katherine Martinko that was also re-printed by
Lion Brand Yarns as "7 Ways Knitting Keeps you Healthy and Well. This is a terrific, well-written article with Katherine citing her references with scientific sources. She writes of the benefits of knitting ranging from reducing stress and anxiety, to reducing risk of dementia, to connecting people, to improving concentration and more.
The
November 2013, Psychology Today's article "Should you knit?" cites a British physiotherapist who founded an organization in Bath called
Stitchlinks to promote knitting as a therapeutic practice. This article also cited Princeton University's research findings that repetitive movements release those good-feeling serotonins. Katherine Martinko's article also references the
Stitchlinks site.
In 2009 CBS was already reporting on knitting's health benefits. Love that there are some men in this group too!
So, pulling together the information to write this post was informative and enjoyable, but as a knitter and crocheter, and let's throw quilter and sewer in there too for good measure, I already 'feel' the 'health benefits', just didn't know the 'scientific reasons'! Did you?!
UPDATE 3.27.2014 ~ CNN reports:
Promising scientific evidence supports what crafters have always known: it's good for your health. This story is part of CNN Health's "Inside Your Brain" series.
I've yet to figure out either knitting or crocheting. There's something about a right handed person (daughter) trying to teach a left handed person (me) that doesn't result in success! Cross stitching, though, I can do that with ease and find it calming and satisfying. Now, if I only knew what to do with all those finished projects.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, cross stitching should definitely be added to the 'list'!
DeleteI do know I do my best thinking while knitting. It also calms me. Quilting gives me more of a feeling of "centeredness" (don't know how to describe it) along with a sense of accomplishment. I definitely do not feel as happy or serene when I go long periods of not doing some handwork.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post, Lisa, because to learn there are actual scientific reasons behind the fact that I'm advantageously affected by knitting or sewing or quilting reinforces the real psychological changes I feel when doing same.
Well said, Mama Pea.
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