Can knitting improve one’s ability to learn new things? Can it help fend off any mental stress a person has? Many people turn to extreme exercise as it improves health and wellness. Seen from the side, knitting and exercise may have little in common, but you’ll be surprised to learn that both activities greatly contribute to our mood and cognitive function. Simple knitting patterns for babies can not only make your babies smile, but also have a meditative or deeply relaxing effect on knitting. Yes, knitting engages the brain and elevates the mood of those who deal with it. Sounds interesting doesn’t it? It certainly is.
Knitters often described the situation they felt when they moved their hands with different knitting needle sizes. They say it looked like they were doing yoga when they started knitting. Studies of the brain waves of people immersed in spatial-motor tasks have revealed similarities to those who meditate deeply. Like meditation, when you start knitting, repetition stimulates the brain’s functions known as the reward system, thus providing good relaxation and an antidote to stress-related health consequences.
How is this possible? Can knitting really be meditative? During repetition, cerebral flow of the left prefrontal cortex of the brain increases in activity. And when that happens, our positive mood is highly affected because the left prefrontal cortex is associated with our emotions. When knitters do their job, they also activate their left prefrontal cortex, giving them a feeling similar to what you feel when solving puzzles or translating code. Over time, it has been discovered that activating the left prefrontal cortex helps ward off problems with depression and anxiety, as well as respond well to any stress.
Knitting can be a great help to have a healthy body. When you knit, your brain is called upon to survive and function. Knitting can also be a good way to distract your brain from thinking about negative situations or emotions. The experience of a woman who has suffered a physical trauma shows that she gradually begins to feel better when she reaches for the knitting needles, and the rhythmic movement of her fingers numbs her brain and gives her peace.
Knitting goes a long way toward promoting emotional health as well as physical and mental. Many people may see it as a boring hobby, but the joy in knitting proves that their brains are working at their best.
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