Selective emotion regulation in creative art production: Psychophysiological reactivity during painting reduces anxiety

Abstract

Across the literatures of aesthetics, philosophy, and psychology, art has long been revered as a powerful means to enhance mental well-being—a perspective that has been integrated into clinical practices worldwide. While some empirical research supports the emotional benefits of art production, such work often captures non-creativity factors (e.g., physical movement and social interaction), leaving the contribution of creative expression on psychophysiological outcomes unclear. To address this issue, we conducted a pre-registered, multi-modal, repeated-measures study wherein participants completed both a painting task and a non-creative but active control task. Our findings demonstrate that, above and beyond the non-creativity processes shared with the control task, painting selectively reduces anxiety, and that greater cognitive engagement and physiological reactivity characterize this reduction. These findings highlight the multi-modal determinants of emotional improvement during artistic production, providing empirical support for the therapeutic benefits of art-making specific to the regulation of anxiety.