Crafts like knitting and crocheting can improve your brain health by helping you relax. According to Herbert Benson, MD, author of The Relaxation Response, the rhythmic and repetitive nature of knitting can put your brain in a meditative state. It requires you to pay attention but, once you’re past the learning stage, doesn’t create stress (unless you’ve just discovered you dropped a stitch five rows back). This type of relaxed awareness benefits your brain significantly. Knitting and similar crafts actually reduce the amount of cortisol, a stress hormone, in your brain. While you’re knitting, your brain is less likely to ruminate and focus on negative or depressing thoughts, which may be one reason why knitting is linked with improved mood. By the same token, it can help distract you from anxious thoughts.
A recent study published in the Journal of Neuro-psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences showed that older adults who knitted or crocheted were less likely to develop memory problems and suffer cognitive decline as compared to adults who read newspapers and magazines. One researcher speculates that knitting stimulates the creation of neural pathways, which helps prevent cognitive decline. Some evidence suggests that knitting can even have a therapeutic effect for people with diseases like Parkinson’s, since the entire brain is used in the process. Getting all parts of the brain working together improves brain function. Knitting may also stimulate your ability to think creatively and to remember. Following complex directions can also help boost mental skills. In addition to all the brain benefits, you can produce hats, scarves, and mittens to share with friends and family!