Abstract
ObjectivesColoring mandalas has been consistently associated with reduced self-reported anxiety. While much of the literature attributes its anxiety-reducing properties to mindfulness, this has not yet been empirically tested. The current study examined mindfulness and other potential mechanisms of action, including flow, the undoing effect (through enjoyment), and distraction from anxious thoughts.MethodFollowing an anxiety induction, 188 participants (M = 21.14 years) colored mandalas for 20 min. Anxiety was measured before and after coloring. In-the-moment and retrospective reports of state mindfulness, flow, enjoyment, and other mind states were examined to identify which were most predictive of anxiety reduction.ResultsThe strongest predictors of anxiety reduction were self-reported flow and enjoyment, followed by state mindfulness and anxious mind-wandering (in a negative direction).ConclusionsBy examining mindfulness, flow, enjoyment, and other mind states as predictors of change in anxiety during mandala coloring, the relevance and potentially even greater predictive validity of flow and enjoyment were identified. Additionally, anxious mind-wandering had not been previously examined in relation to mandala coloring; thus, this was the first time it was identified as a predictor of change in anxiety during mandala coloring. Moving away from focusing on mindfulness as the presumed mechanism of action to explore other factors, such as flow, enjoyment, and distraction from anxious thoughts, has the potential to yield unique insights into how mandala coloring relates to anxiety reduction and facilitate the development of empirically based instructions to increase the anxiety-reducing effect of mandala coloring, and potentially other art-making activities.