Victoria Bradford – Psychology

Exploring the use of Mandala on Anxiety Reduction

Previous work suggested that coloring a mandala results in greater reductions in self-reported anxiety than coloring a plaid design or “free coloring” (van der Vennet and Serice, 2012).   With an undergraduate student sample (N=121), we examined whether coloring a mandala has a unique effect on reducing anxiety following a 4-minute writing exercise on a past anxiety-filled event.   We compared coloring a mandala to tracing a mandala, free coloring, or simulating a waiting room (control condition).  We collected anxiety readings at baseline, following the writing exercise, midway and at the end of our 20-minute intervention, and after a 15-minute delay.  All interventions produced a reduction in anxiety; however, no one condition was superior to any other.   Our findings do not support the claim that coloring a mandala is especially soothing or has unique anxiety-reducing properties.  We also briefly assessed attitudes about coloring and how often students colored on a monthly basis.