7 Ways Paint by Numbers Boosts Your Brain (Research-Backed)
Paint by numbers is a great way to express yourself creatively and have fun. But did you know that it can also be beneficial for your brain?
Paint by numbers can help boost cognitive function, promote relaxation and mindfulness, and even improve memory. It's an ideal career activity and hobby for people of all ages and more than just an artistic activity. It helps reduce the risk of cognitive decline and boosts creativity and problem-solving skills.
Art is a therapy that can help you reduce stress and express your creative side. Paint by numbers allows you to get lost in the beauty of nature, which can help soothe your mind and soul.
The activity requires focus, attention to detail, patience, and motor skills - all of which can help boost cognitive function.
As you match the numbers on the canvas with colors, you focus on the task, allowing you to quiet your mind. The moment of peace and mindfulness achieved through painting can help improve your overall mental health.
This post will look at research-verified ways paint by numbers can boost your brain and improve cognitive function.
1. Increases concentration and brain movements
The mind tends to wander around even when you are supposed to be focused on something. Did you know that humans spend nearly 47% of their hours awake focusing on something other than what they are doing?
But there are various ways to reduce this habit, including getting lost in the simple task of paint by numbers. The activity requires your attention and focus to complete your painting without making any mistakes.
The brain's frontal lobe is responsible for our ability to self-organize, so when you are focused on something like painting by numbers, you can keep your brain active and reduce mental fatigue. The movement of the hand, when painting by numbers, is also helpful for brain stimulation.
When you start doing something you like for longer and longer periods, you see an increased ability to focus on any task, which can help improve your concentration levels.
Painting by numbers is simple with the right mindset and tools, so you can complete it as a relaxation exercise.
2. Helps enhance coordination
Painting requires coordination between your hands, eyes, and body to stay within the lines. Your motor skills and coordination should be on point while painting, as your success depends on it.
You have to use your hands to hold the brush, place it on the canvas, and color within the lines - all of which require coordination. When you can complete a painting, it can help build your confidence and enhance your coordination.
Any task that requires hand-eye coordination can help improve your focus and problem-solving skills. Paint by numbers is a great way to practice these skills, as you must match the numbers with the corresponding color and stay within the lines.
3. Boosts memory recollection skills
Memory recollection skills refer to how you remember the information or events stored in your brain. During recollection, there's a replay of neural activity that corresponds to the event or knowledge you want to recall.
The task of painting by numbers helps enhance the way your brain retrieves information. When you learn something new, your brain has to form neural pathways to remember it. The more often those pathways are used, the stronger they become.
The recollection process echoes the brain's perception of that event but is not entirely identical to the original perception. The brain remembers the information and stores it in a way that is unique to you.
Memory is prone to distortion and decay over time, but a painting by numbers can help build stronger neural pathways to help improve your memory retention. You learn to remember the shapes, colors, and numbers associated with a painting without taking notes.
4. Allows you to express yourself
Painting is therapeutic, allowing you to express yourself without using words. Even if you are not an art expert, you can complete a painting by numbers with a few tools and the right canvas to help you express your feelings and mood.
Paintings by numbers is making art accessible even to those not experts in the field. You can explore new colors and draw even complicated and detailed images you could have never imagined possible.
Painting provides a creative outlet to improve physical and mental health. It reduces stress, improves one’s overall well-being, and enhances critical thinking skills.
Expressing yourself does wonders for your emotional health. You get to explore your inner thoughts and emotions without saying a word.
5. Helps your mind relax
The mind constantly absorbs information, which can lead to stress and anxiety. Every day, it gathers data from the environment, the people you interact with, and the news you watch. The brain is exposed to numerous mental and physical stresses that affect concentration levels.
Painting by numbers provides a great way to relax your mind and bring it to a calm state. You can zone out from the stresses of daily life and take a break from reality. Matching the numbers and colors helps bring a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
When you have a paint-by-numbers canvas waiting for you at home, you have something to look forward to when you need to relax. And the more you work on it, the more you enjoy its calming effect.
Painting by numbers can help improve your physical health, mental sharpness, and emotional health. It can provide a relaxing and creative outlet to help express yourself and escape the pressures of everyday life.
6. Builds motor skills
Painting by numbers requires you to match the colors with their corresponding numbers, a great way to strengthen your motor skills. The activity requires careful consideration of color and hue, allowing you to practice coordination and control over your movements.
Motor skills involve the coordination of muscles, such as in the finger or joints, and the synchronization of the eyes. These muscles exhibit a natural progression, with the muscles' strength and control developing over time.
Motor skills apply to everyday life tasks such as brushing teeth, eating, and handwriting. They are very important for physical activity, mobility, and developing artistic skills.
The more you draw with paint by numbers, your brain is forced to remember the numbers and which colors correspond to them.
The more practice you get, the easier it will be for your brain to recall information and coordinate your movements accordingly, granting you fine motor skills.
7. Reduces the risk of cognitive decline
Working close with canvases, paints, blending colors, and correcting mistakes can help improve your cognitive skills. Cognitive function refers to the ability of an individual to exhibit brain functions such as remembering, thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, and more.
Aging, lifestyle, environmental factors, and various illnesses can cause cognitive decline. The key to maintaining and improving cognitive health is to keep the mind challenged and engaged in activities such as painting by numbers that exercise the brain.
Enhancing one's cognitive functions mainly involve processes with a meditative touch. They help catalyze the brain and force the use of the brain's capacity as much as possible. One of the activities to help improve cognitive function include painting by numbers.
Takeaway: Boost your brain performance with painting by Numbers
Painting by numbers is an activity that can help to improve physical, emotional, and cognitive health. It helps reduce stress, enhances motor skills, and reduces the risk of cognitive decline.
Painting by numbers can be a great way to boost your brain performance, whether as a hobby, an occasional, or daily activity. It is a simple way to keep entertained while improving your brain health.
Paint Your Numbers is dedicated to providing DIY paint by numbers canvases to help you relax and improve your cognitive skills. Our quality kits allow you to choose from various artworks designed to fit all skill levels. Get started today and unleash your creativity!