If you have ever felt your shoulders drop after twenty quiet minutes with a brush, you already suspect what a lot of people are asking out loud: are paint by numbers good for anxiety? The honest answer is that painting by numbers will not treat an anxiety disorder, but the research on art making and the way these kits are built both point the same way. For a lot of people, an hour of filling in small numbered sections is a genuinely calming, self-soothing thing to do. Here is what the evidence says, why the structure matters, and how to actually use a kit to wind down.
Are paint by numbers good for anxiety?
For most people, yes, paint by numbers is good for everyday anxiety and stress. It gives your mind a single, low-pressure task to focus on, which quiets the racing thoughts that feed anxious feelings. It will not replace therapy or medication for a clinical anxiety disorder, but as a regular wind-down habit it is one of the easier, more reliable ways to feel calmer.
What does the research actually say about art and anxiety?
Two studies are worth knowing. One found that making art lowers your physical stress hormones. The other found that structured art, the kind with edges and a pattern to follow, calms anxiety better than painting on a blank page. Paint by numbers sits squarely in that second, more effective category.
In a 2016 Drexel University study, 39 adults gave saliva samples before and after 45 minutes of art making. Nearly 75% of them had lower cortisol, the body's main stress hormone, afterwards. It made no difference whether someone was an experienced artist or had never picked up a brush. The calming effect did not depend on talent, which matters a lot if anxiety already makes you worry about doing things "right".
The second study is the more interesting one for paint by numbers specifically. Curry and Kasser (2005) had 84 people colour either a structured mandala, a structured plaid pattern, or a blank sheet, after a short anxiety-inducing task. Both structured groups calmed down significantly more than the blank-page group. The researchers concluded that colouring a reasonably complex, structured pattern can induce a meditative state that eases anxiety. That is more or less the definition of a paint by numbers kit.
| Study | What they tested | What they found |
|---|---|---|
| Kaimal, Ray & Muniz, 2016 (Drexel) | Cortisol before and after 45 minutes of art making, 39 adults | ~75% had lower cortisol afterwards; effect was unrelated to artistic skill |
| Curry & Kasser, 2005 | Structured vs free-form colouring after anxiety induction, 84 people | Structured colouring reduced anxiety more than colouring on a blank page |
A fair caveat: these are small studies on short-term, everyday anxiety, not large clinical trials on diagnosed anxiety disorders. They tell us the activity reliably helps people feel calmer in the moment. They do not tell us it cures anything, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
Why does the structure of paint by numbers help so much?
Anxiety thrives on open-endedness and too many decisions. Paint by numbers removes both. Every choice is already made for you: this section is colour 7, the next is colour 12. That leaves your mind with one simple, repeatable job, which is exactly the condition that lets a calmer, more focused state take over.
Psychologists call that absorbed state "flow", where you are so involved in a task that the worries of the day fade into the background and you lose track of time. A blank canvas can actually raise anxiety, because now you have to decide what to paint and judge whether it is any good. A numbered canvas takes those pressures away. You cannot really get it wrong, so the self-critical voice that often rides along with anxiety has nothing to grab onto. The result is the gentle, repetitive rhythm people describe as switching their brain off.
- No decisions to agonise over. The colours and placement are decided, so there is no "what if I ruin it" pressure.
- One thing to focus on. A single small section at a time keeps your attention in the present, not in tomorrow's worries.
- Visible, steady progress. Watching the picture fill in gives a quiet sense of control and accomplishment, which anxiety often strips away.
- An easy on-ramp. No skill required to start, so there is no barrier on the days you have the least energy.
What do real painters say about how it feels?
We have sold thousands of custom and standard kits, first as a pet-portrait brand on Etsy and now as Paint A Moment, and the same word comes back again and again in reviews: relaxing. People rarely talk about the finished painting first. They talk about the hours they spent making it.
"This was a repeat order as the couple I bought the first one for requested another as they found doing it so relaxing and the final picture was fab." From Mary, a verified buyer
There is a pattern in our order history that backs this up better than any single review. A striking number of our customers come back for a second, third, even fourth kit. We have buyers on their fourth custom painting and several on their third. People do not repeat-buy a chore. They repeat-buy something that genuinely makes them feel good while they do it. The other recurring theme is comfort and memory: a lot of kits are bought to remember a pet that has passed, or to mark something that mattered. The act of slowly painting that subject, section by section, turns out to be a quietly therapeutic thing in itself.
How do you use paint by numbers to actually wind down?
Getting the calming effect is less about the painting and more about how you set up the session. A few small things make the difference between a relaxing hour and a frustrating one. Here is the simple routine we suggest to nervous first-timers.
- Pick a subject that soothes you, not one that impresses. Soft florals and calm landscapes are the most relaxing to paint because the colour blocks are larger and the pace is gentle.
- Start easy. If your goal is calm, not a challenge, begin with an easy kit with bigger sections. Fewer tiny numbers means less eye strain and less frustration.
- Set the scene. Good light, a comfortable chair, a cup of tea, and something quiet on in the background. You are building a ritual, not just doing a task.
- Work in one direction, dark to light or top to bottom. Following a simple order removes even the small decision of where to go next. Our beginner's guide walks through the easiest order.
- Stop when you want to, not when it is "finished". Twenty calm minutes is a win. There is no deadline. The kit will wait for you.
Is paint by numbers a replacement for anxiety treatment?
No. Paint by numbers is a self-soothing hobby, not a medical treatment, and it is not a substitute for professional help. If anxiety is affecting your daily life, sleep, or relationships, please speak to a doctor or a qualified mental health professional. Think of painting as one healthy tool among many, like a walk or a warm bath, rather than a cure.
What it does well is give you a reliable, low-effort way to step out of an anxious spiral for an hour and feel a bit calmer and more in control afterwards. That is a real and worthwhile thing. It just sits alongside proper care, not instead of it.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need any artistic skill for it to help?
No. The Drexel cortisol study found the stress-lowering effect was the same whether or not someone had art experience. The numbers do the skilled part, so you get the calming benefit without needing any talent.
How long should you paint to feel the benefit?
The research used 45-minute sessions, but you do not need to do it all at once. Even 15 to 20 focused minutes can settle a busy mind. Many people find a short daily session works better than one long one.
Is paint by numbers better than adult colouring books for anxiety?
They work on the same principle of structured, repetitive focus. Painting adds the soothing, tactile rhythm of brush and paint and ends with something you can frame and keep, which adds a quiet sense of accomplishment colouring sheets usually do not.
What kind of painting is most relaxing to start with?
An easy kit with larger sections and a calm subject like flowers, a landscape, or a seascape. Save the highly detailed, tiny-number designs for when you want a challenge rather than a wind-down.
The bottom line
Are paint by numbers good for anxiety? As a calming, in-the-moment, self-soothing habit, the answer is a confident yes, and the structure is the secret. The research on art and cortisol, plus the specific finding that structured art beats free-form for reducing anxiety, both line up with what our own customers tell us year after year: it is just really relaxing to do. It is not therapy, and we will never pretend it is. But as a gentle hour that lets your mind settle, a numbered canvas is hard to beat.
If you would like to try it, a soft easy kit is the kindest place to start. If you would rather paint something personal, like a pet or a place that means something to you, our custom paint by numbers kit turns your own photo into a kit. You might also like our guides on turning a photo into a kit and paint by numbers gift ideas if you are choosing one for someone who could use a calmer evening.
Written by Marcus, founder of Paint A Moment. Before Paint A Moment, my partner and I ran MegaPaws, a custom pet-portrait paint by numbers brand on Etsy, where we made thousands of personalised kits. After years of reading customers' messages, the thing that stuck with me was not how the paintings looked. It was how often people said the painting was the calmest part of their week.
Sources: Kaimal, Ray & Muniz (2016), reported by Drexel University; Curry & Kasser (2005), "Can Coloring Mandalas Reduce Anxiety?", Art Therapy journal. This article is for general information and is not medical advice.
