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Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants' Responses Following Art Making
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants' Responses Following Art Making

Girija Kaimal, Kendra Ray and Juan Muniz
Art therapy, v 33(2), pp 74-80
02 Apr 2016
PMID: 27695158
url
https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2016.1166832View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Maybe Open Access (Publisher Bronze) Open

Abstract

Psychology, Clinical Psychology Social Sciences
This quasi-experimental study investigated the impact of visual art making on the cortisol levels of 39 healthy adults. Participants provided saliva samples to assess cortisol levels before and after 45 minutes of art making. Participants also provided written responses about the experience at the end of the session. Results indicate that art making resulted in statistically significant lowering of cortisol levels. Participants' written responses indicated that they found the art-making session to be relaxing, enjoyable, helpful for learning about new aspects of self, freeing from constraints, an evolving process of initial struggle to later resolution, and about flow/losing themselves in the work. They also reflected that the session evoked a desire to make art in the future. There were weak associations between changes in cortisol level and age, time of day, and participant responses related to learning about one's self and references to an evolving process in art making. There were no significant differences in outcomes based on prior experiences with art making, media choice, or gender.

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152 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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