Can coloring books really help people relieve stress?

The Chinese edition of Enchanted Forest by Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford.[Photo provided to China Daily]

It is a popular belief that coloring books can help people relieve stress and have psychological benefits. Some Internet users claim that they can keep away from their cell phones for a whole afternoon by concentrating on coloring, which not only helps them relax, but also achieve self-improvement.

However, some say that the coloring process makes them more stressed as it is hard for them to choose the right color each time and they are always unsatisfied with their works. Some addicts got sick after spending too much time coloring and a college girl even fell ill after staying up coloring until 2 o'clock in the morning.

Chen Hengda, head of the spiritual growth center at Guangxi Science and Technology Publishing House, says that the drawings from the hit coloring books like Secret Garden are always the illustrators' improvisations, which require high coloring skill, so many people can't feel a sense of achievement and will feel frustrated at their efforts, which can only stress them out more.

Xu Guosheng, an expert from the Chinese academy of Press and Publication, thinks that coloring books cater to the social reading trend, and has a great advantage in social interaction and social media. "The spread of coloring books is a sign which predicts that social publishing and social reading will be a major trend in the future."