Knitting Neurobiology

What if knitting was a form of public health? Don’t pooh-pooh me yet…Hear me out.

Creating with your hands, especially in the fiber arts, results in more than just sexy sweaters. Research suggests it may also reduce stress hormones, increase happiness, and even help preserve a younger biological brain.

When you knit, crochet, weave, or stitch, your body enters a calm, meditative rhythm. This rhythmic, repetitive motion has been shown to reduce cortisol, the stress hormone. Cortisol is linked to slower metabolism, suppressed immunity, cardiovascular strain, and neurological decline. 

Reducing cortisol can also reduce indicators of “brain age”. Neurologists often measure “brain age” using imaging markers like gray matter thickness, white matter integrity, and cerebral blood flow. A younger biological brain shows less atrophy, shallower sulci (the valleys between ridges on your brain), and more efficient blood flow. These features are linked to better cognition and longer lifespan. 

In fact, a 2024 study by Keyes et al. in Frontiers in Public Health found that creating arts and crafting positively predicts subjective wellbeing in a large UK sample of over 7,000 adults (Keyes et al., 2024). The data is correlational, but compelling: participants who engaged in arts and crafts reported significantly higher life satisfaction, happiness, and sense of purpose. The authors even suggested that crafting could serve as a public health intervention. (Yes AND we still need good healthcare.)

An aspect that hasn’t been emphasized in much of the research is the sense of community. If you’ve ever been to a knitting group, you’ll know what I mean. People (usually women and queer people) of all ages are present in one place and time, talking about their lives and the world around them. Despite the fact that humans are pack animals, this sense of community is often lost on us. 

If fiber arts foster community, promote neuroplasticity, reduce brain age, lower cortisol levels, AND result in sexy sweaters, I say RFK Jr. needs to get his shit together, pick up a pair of needles, and prep for his next HHS announcement. Jokes aside, the man sounds like a fork in a garbage disposal and I would stop knitting if he endorsed it. So grab a project (or finish one of the many half-done ones), find a community near you, and add some years and dopamine to your life! 

Reference:
Keyes, H., Gaggiotti, H., O’Brien, K. S., & Holt, N. J. (2024). Creating arts and crafting positively predicts subjective wellbeing.Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1382431. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1382431