Knitting May Boost Health and Happiness

New research suggests that working with our hands has measurable advantages for body and mind

“Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.”

That biblical proverb may have more scientific truth to it than we previously recognized.

Recent scientific research suggests that working with our hands — through knitting, washing dishes, painting, metal craft, woodworking — can provide marked physical and psychological benefits.

“I made up this term called ‘behaviorceuticals,’ instead of pharmaceuticals, in the sense that when we move and when we engage in activities, we change the neurochemistry of our brain in ways that a drug can change the neurochemistry of our brain,” said Dr. Kelly Lambert, a University of Richmond professor of behavioral neuroscience, on CBS News this week.

In her research with rats, Lambert found that rats that must work with their paws to uncover a treat fare much better than “trust-fund” rats, which are given treats freely. The animals that received rewards without working for them had elevated levels of stress hormones, for example. They were also less emotionally resilient.

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