Half of U.S. Adults Use Creativity for Stress, Anxiety Release

Top stress-relieving activities include music, puzzles, singing, dancing, and art

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, July 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Nearly half of Americans use creative activities to relieve stress or anxiety, according to the results of a recent American Psychiatric Association poll.

The Healthy Minds Monthly poll, conducted by the Morning Consult (June 15 to 18, 2023), included a sample of 2,202 adults.

More than three in four U.S. adults (77 percent) rated their mental health as good or better, up from 63 percent at the beginning of the year. Furthermore, adults who rated their mental health as very good or excellent (71 percent) engaged in creative activities more frequently than those who reported good (50 percent) or fair or poor (46 percent) mental health. The top-rated creative activities used to relieve stress and anxiety included listening to music (77 percent); solving puzzles (39 percent); singing or dancing (25 percent); and drawing, painting, or sculpting (24 percent).

“We live in stressful times, and sometimes our jobs and responsibilities can drain our energy and our mental health,” Petros Levounis, M.D., president of the American Psychiatric Association, said in a statement. “Creative activities aren’t just for fun, they can help us take a step back from the daily grind, use our brains differently, and relax. Picking up that paintbrush or solving a tricky puzzle can truly move us to a different mindset.”