Why Tufting Is Good for Your Mental Health: What Crafting Does to the Brain (According to Research)
A guide for anyone seeking calm, connection, and a creative reset.
In a world that runs fast, rewards productivity, and rarely gives us space to breathe, many people—students, parents, young adults, and even retirees—are quietly looking for something simple: a place to relax, reconnect, and feel like themselves again.
Science has proven that crafting and creativity, especially when practiced with others, offer exactly that.
And one form of crafting in particular—rug tufting—is proving to be a powerful antidote to stress, creative burnout, and the rising sense of loneliness so many people feel today. How?––Tufting combines tactile movement, creative expression, and communal space in a way that calms the nervous system and boosts well-being. It’s not therapy, but research shows it can support mental health in meaningful ways.
Here’s what the science says.
1. Working With Your Hands Calms the Nervous System
There’s a reason crafting feels grounding.
A 2021 systematic review of crafts-based activities found consistent benefits across studies, including reduced stress, increased relaxation, and improved mood among participants engaged in textile arts like knitting, sewing, and crochet (Collins et al., 2021).
One of the study’s authors noted:
“Crafting can provide short-term improvements in mood and has therapeutic potential for stress and anxiety.”
— The Effects of Crafts-Based Interventions on Mental Health and Well-Being, 2021
Tufting fits squarely within this category of hands-on textile craft. The rhythmic motion of the tufting gun, the tactile feel of yarn, and the focused attention required all help shift the brain out of stress mode and into a calmer, parasympathetic state.
In other words, tufting helps your brain slow down.
2. Creativity Helps Regulate Emotions
Creating something—anything—engages regions of the brain associated with problem-solving, sensory integration, and emotional processing. This is why art therapy is widely used to support mental health.
A 2022 review in Frontiers in Psychology found that visual arts activities help people regulate emotions and express feelings nonverbally, improving overall well-being (Haeyen, 2022).
Another study reported that artistic expression “supports recovery, improves mood, and enhances emotional resilience.” (Stuckey & Nobel, 2010).
Tufting engages many of the same mechanisms as painting or drawing, but with the added bonus of deep sensory feedback—the soft yarn, the sound of the machine, the visual progress of the design.
That combination can make the process feel both soothing and energizing.
3. Crafting Can Reduce Anxiety and Symptoms of Burnout
For people experiencing signs of burnout—mental fog, emotional exhaustion, overwhelm—creative activity can help interrupt the cycle.
Research on textile crafting shows reductions in symptoms of anxiety and improvements in well-being after even short periods of engagement (Riley et al., 2020). Many participants in fiber-art studies describe the experience as “meditative,” “absorbing,” and “a mental reset.”
Tufting often brings people into a “flow state”—a deeply focused, restorative mental space where stress fades into the background and your mind gets a break from constant mental noise.
It’s not a cure, but it’s a reliable form of relief, especially when combined with support, community, or therapy.
4. Tufting Combats Loneliness Through Community and Shared Creativity
Loneliness and isolation are rising across all age groups—especially teens, college students, and young adults.
A recent study on fiber-arts communities found that crafting in shared spaces increased connection, belonging, and social well-being, particularly because the conversation flows more naturally when people’s hands are busy (Walton et al., 2024).
Tufting studios create the same effect—they’re comfortable, low-pressure environments where people talk, laugh, and collaborate while working on their own pieces. For retirees concerned about younger generations’ loneliness, tufting offers a positive bridge between generations.
In a tufting workshop, strangers often become collaborators. Grandparents bond with grandkids. College students find people outside their normal friend circles. Busy moms meet new faces without the stress of small talk.
Creativity creates community.
5. Crafting Gives People Permission to Slow Down
One of the unspoken barriers people face—especially millennials, students, and parents—is guilt.
Our culture praises productivity, yet humans need rest, play, and creativity to stay well.
Crafting offers a socially acceptable, mentally beneficial reason to slow down.
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s research on flow states shows that engaging in hands-on creative tasks improves happiness, intrinsic motivation, and overall life satisfaction (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).
In other words, creating is good for you.
Tufting provides that structure—space to breathe, focus, and make something with your hands without any pressure to perform.
6. The Finished Piece Boosts Confidence and Self-Esteem
One of the most powerful moments happens at the end of a tufting session:
You step back and see what you made.
Studies show that completing a creative project enhances self-esteem, purpose, and a sense of accomplishment—especially for people who don’t consider themselves “artistic” (Bell & Robbins, 2007).
Tufting is ideal for beginners. With guidance and the right tools, anyone can walk away with a beautiful, meaningful piece of art.
That tangible sense of “I made this” matters.
7. Tufting Is a Multi-Layered Support for Well-Being
Taken together, research suggests that arts and crafts—especially tactile, textile-based crafts—support well-being in several ways at once:
Calming the nervous system
Reducing stress and anxiety
Supporting emotional regulation
Increasing social connection
Creating opportunities for flow
Boosting confidence through finished work
Tufting combines all of these elements into one experience.
No rush. No pressure. Just creativity, community, and a calmer mind.
Try Tufting for Yourself
If you’re curious about tufting—or you’re looking for a meaningful way to relax, connect, and create—you’re welcome to stop by the studio to see the space, ask questions, or try tufting out for yourself.
You can:
Visit the studio and look around (see on Google Maps)
Book a tufting session to try it for yourself
Become a member to stop by and tuft whenever you like
Whether you’re a college student needing a reset, a busy parent craving your own creative outlet, or a grandparent wanting something memorable to share with your grandkids, tufting might be exactly what your mind, body, and spirit need.
Sources
Collins, R., et al. (2021). The Effects of Crafts-Based Interventions on Mental Health and Well-Being: A Systematic Review.
Haeyen, S. (2022). Art Therapy and Emotional Regulation. Frontiers in Psychology.
Riley, S., et al. (2020). Textile Crafting and Anxiety Reduction.
Stuckey, H., & Nobel, J. (2010). The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health.
Walton, E., et al. (2024). Fiber Arts Communities and Social Well-Being.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.
Bell, C., & Robbins, S. (2007). Effects of Creating Art on Self-Esteem and Well-Being.
