Since my mother began to draw Zen around, the wall of the house was almost filled with ... and so on, what exactly is Zen's painting?

Since my mother is obsessed with painting Zen, I often have such a conversation between me- and I have often happened-

Son! Do you say where do I hang in this Zen around?

Mom ... The walls of your house are already full, so I don't hang it up ...

Because my mother is obsessed with the painting of Zen, she will give her relatives and friends with Zen dawn when she is a New Year. For example, during the New Year, the red envelopes of each grandson were carefully designed by grandma; like us, there were no red envelopes in an adult, and the mother would also deliver the red bag of Zen's painting.

At the beginning, she participated in the offline painting courses of offline. Later, because of the epidemic, she changed to class online without charging, so she pouted on time every day. Then ... the 100 Zen around paintings are really spectacular.

The picture on the left is the Zen Wing painting "Zongzi" painted by my mother, and the picture on the right is 100 Zen Wan Drawing 丨 Author Pictures

For my mother, it is not easy to insist on painting meditation every day, because she has always been interested in various things, such as sewing, zither, flower arrangement, etc. She has learned Soon, at least not as long as Zen.

So why is Zen's painting so charming?

Zen around painting: easy to get started and have a sense of accomplishment

Zen's painting is a product of accidentally created by American artist Maria Thomas and husband Rick Roberts more than ten years ago. Maria is good at hand -painted plants, and her works are loved by many people. But she has always had a regret that although people want to learn her plants, it is too difficult, and most people feel that they can't do it.

One day, when Maria decorated with a background of a golden alphabet, Rick just went to the studio to find her, which interrupted Maria's work, but also made her notice that she had just decorated the letters. There is a wonderful feeling -relaxation, immersion, eternity, no self ... Because Rick has long practiced meditation, he told Maria that the state you just entered was "meditation."

They found that the creation of this decorative painting is easy to get started, but also allows people to enter the state of meditation. It is named "ZENTANGLE" (Zen Zen + TANGLE Wracking)).

Zen around, long like this 丨 YouTube / Ketki FADNIS Arts

The biggest feature of Zen around is that only the simple lines are required to draw the pleasing structured graphics. And because it does not have a predetermined result, there is no so -called error, avoiding the judgment of itself in the heart. As long as you focus on the present, after drawing one by one, a work full of beauty and creativity will appear after 15 minutes. Feelings.

This is the two reasons I think that my mother is so durable for Zen's paintings: first, Zen around painting is easier to get started; second, Zen around painting is not easy to make people feel frustrated, or it is easier to bring a sense of accomplishment. Essence

Order and duplicate bring beauty

Many people are obsessed with Zen's painting. It is that its complex and orderly picture can make people feel like "obsessive -compulsive disorder" when the items are arranged neatly.

From the perspective of evolutionary psychology, the human brain likes laws, rules and order, and visual order will bring people pleasure and aesthetics, as architect Corbusier said: "Order is real The spoon of life. It is the search for order to distinguish between humans and other species. "

Order is the real life spoon 丨 pixabay

At the same time, people also like to repeat things, because duplication is expected, which will bring us a sense of security and control -and the basic method of Zen's painting is the continuous repetition of simple lines.

Music scholars at Ohio State University have done a study of "duplicate". He found that the little mouse would be scared when he heard a noisy voice "B tone" for the first time. The second and third listening will be stimulated, but if you listen too much, you will be indifferent. At this time, as long as a new C tone is played first, and then the B tone is played, the mouse will re -adjust the B. When the little mouse feels boring about B and C tone B, as long as a D tone is added, then its excitement of B and C tone of B immediately returns. How can I keep the little mouse excited with the simplest tone? The following sequence:

BBBBC – BBBC – BBC – BC – D

Although David studies music, the essence of "repeated" is similar. Of course, if it is just repeated, it will soon make people feel tedious, so Zen's painting will also incorporate some regular changes in the process of repeating, so that people can find a balance between familiarity and unexpectedness, so as to keep keeping up Expressive.

Zen around painting can really bring people

Is the benefit of "meditation"?

Maria and Rick believe that Zen's painting can make people enter meditation. What kind of state is the state of thinking?

According to the definition of the American Psychology Association, "meditation" is a profound and extensive contemplation or reflection. By concentrating or a state of consciousness, people can understand themselves and the world in depth. During meditation, people will focus on the present, and aware of all their emotions and ideas without judging the peaceful acceptance.

If a person is devoting himself to painting Zen, he may have the opportunity to enter the so -called meditation state, and there is also the opportunity to improve his physical and mental state. However, there are not many related studies. There are only some degree papers to do research on this theme, and most of them are more qualitative research, which means lack of objective evidence. Including the official website of Zen around also stated that the positive impact of Zen's painting on physical and mental aspects does not come from evidence support from scientific research, and more is people's own experience and feelings.

There is a study involving Zen's painting published in the 2021 "Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology". After training, the cognitive ability has been improved, and the state of depression has also improved significantly, showing that this method is good for people's physical and mental.

However, I want to remind everyone that the control group in this study (the elderly who accepts some popular science knowledge) has also improved the cognitive ability, and the state of depression has also improved. Groups, and the effect is relatively short.

In addition, I do n’t know if Zen's painting belongs to the academic taboos. This study is obviously used as training with Zen wrapped paintings. In the article title, no Zen wrapped painting is mentioned. Instead, it is treated with visual art. The words.

As mentioned earlier, Zen's painting can make people enter a similar meditation experience. Regarding meditation, there was a retrospective article in 2014, "Journal of the American Medical Society", which summarized the results of 47 research. It was believed that meditation can effectively reduce psychological pressure and make patients face more calmly. However, the author also reminds everyone that the effect of meditation as a whole is not as strong as expected, and everyone should not have unrealistic expectations.

In addition to meditation, Zen Wan painting itself, as an artistic activity, is often compared with Mandala. The mandala is artistic creation in a circle, and there are various forms. The psychoralist psychologist Jung first used Mandala to psychotherapy, thinking that it could have a sedative effect and have the effect of psychological integration.

Mandala, long like this 丨 pixabay

Although there are more academic research on mandala, the results of research may disappoint friends who like mandala. For example, psychologists at the University of Texas AM have conducted a mandala intervention in PTSD (post -traumatic stimulus disorder) patients, and found that in one month of follow -up, painting mandala can reduce the patient's PTSD symptoms of PTSD symptoms And depression, anxiety, and other physiological state have basically not improved. In addition, researchers at the University of Calstad of Sweden reviewed eight studies related to Mandala and found that although mandala can indeed effectively reduce anxiety, this reduced effect is not better than other painting activities.

Then ... to continue

Do you paint Zen?

It seems that although it is good for painting Zen and painting, it seems that you can bring similar benefits to ourselves. So, do we want to continue to paint Zen?

In fact, I think you can think about it from another angle: if you do one thing, you can make yourself happy, will you care whether there are scientific research to verify its benefits?

For example, just like the Mife Rabbit full of my office, although no one has done research to confirm that Mifie Rabbit is helpful to people's physical and mental (and it is helpful for research on psychology), but I am here There will be a full sense of happiness in the environment, and I feel pretty good.

The Mifie Rabbit full of psychological office 丨 Author's picture

Therefore, if you paint a Zen and painting is something you like to do, then you really don't need to pay attention to whether there is research to confirm that Zen around painting is helpful to others. Because just doing what you like is a lot of benefits for your physical and mental.

What's more, there is no disadvantage of painting Zen around. If you really enjoy the state of painting, you don't need to worry too much. If you want to draw more, draw more.

references

[1] https://zentangle.com/pages/how-did-zentangle-begin

[2]Masika G M, Yu D S, Li P W C, 2020. Can Visual Art Therapy Be Implemented With Illiterate Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment? A Pilot Mixed-Method Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, 34(1): 76-86.

[3] https://dictionary.apa.org/medity

[4] GOYAL M, SIBINGA E M S, ET AL., 2014. Meditation ProgramS for Psychology Stress and Well-Being: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analys.5] Henderson P, Rosen D, Mascaro N, 2007. Empirical Study on the Healing Nature of Mandalas. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 1 (3): 148–154.

[6] Støre S J, Jakobsson N, 2022. The Effect of Mandala Coloring on State Anxiety: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Art THERAPY: 1-9.

Author: Huang Yangming

Edit: Yuan Yan, malt Yang

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