Short-Term Mood Repair Through Art: Effects of Medium and Strategy

Abstract

This study examined the effects of expressive media (drawing versus writing) and emotion regulation strategy (coping by venting versus coping by distraction) on short-term mood repair. After inducing a sad mood in 40 participants, the researchers randomly assigned them to one of two conditions: drawing or writing. Mood valence was assessed before and after the activity, and participants reported whether they used the activity to vent or to distract themselves. Findings indicated that mood valence was significantly more positive after drawing than writing, and more positive when individuals reported using distraction rather than venting to regulate their emotions. Drawing in this study was a more effective means of immediate mood repair than writing; both activities repaired mood more effectively through distraction than through venting.

Acknowledgments

Editor's Note: Doctoral candidate Jennifer E. Drake, MA, Katelyn Coleman, BA, and Ellen Winner, PhD, are in the Department of Psychology, Boston College. Dr. Winner is also affiliated with Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education.