Knitting is Apparently Great For Your Mind and Body⁠⁠—According to This Study

It looks like knitting shouldn’t just be for old people. Picking up this hobby can do good on your physical and mental health, according to a study. It can help reduce anxiety and depression, delay the onset of dementia, and distract you from any chronic pain you’re struggling with.

A group of 15,000 knitters in the United Kingdom called Knit for Peace has conducted an extensive review of past studies and surveyed a thousand of their members about their knitting experiences. The results revealed a fact that knitting hobbyists already know.

The Power of Knitting

Knitting, with its repetitive movements, has calming effects and is considered a meditative hobby. The sensations of touching and caressing your knitted pieces⁠—may it be a pair of mittens, a shawl you can snuggle, or an ultra-soft scarf⁠—help release serotonin in your brain. It is also an effective distraction from both physical and mental pain.

A survey that was published in The British Journal of Occupational Therapy reveals that 81 percent of their respondents felt happier after a knitting session. Another research, which was conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital’s Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine and Harvard Training Hospital, suggests that knitting can lower the heart rate by 11 beats per minute on average; therefore, evoking a state of relaxation.

The needlework hobby has also been found to boost your brainpower. It reportedly reduces the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment by 50 percent.

These findings are in line with Knit for Peace’s research. Among their respondents, 86 percent said that knitting helped them relax while around 30 percent stated that it helped reduce their blood pressure and anxiety and counter depression. Others even said that it relieved their arthritis and chronic pain.

Knitting doesn’t just keep you busy, it also has significant effects on your wellness. Aside from the benefits already mentioned, here’s a rundown on some of the other perks you get just by knitting.

Gives You a Sense of Pride

Knitting is a learned skill, and not everyone can do it. Aside from feeling pride about your finished piece, you can also get the satisfaction of showing off your output to a loved one or someone who doesn’t know how you managed to create a clothing item from bundles of yarn.

Improves Motor Functions

This hobby stimulates almost every part of your brain at once. It can also aid those who have Parkinson’s disease to improve their fine motor skills and distract them from other painful symptoms that they’re feeling.