How quickly does coloring actually reduce stress?

Research points to changes within 15 to 20 minutes. A 2018 study found significantly lower stress and higher relaxation after 20 minutes of coloring compared to a control group, and Girija Kaimal, chair of creative arts therapies at Drexel University, has noted measurable changes within 15 minutes.

Does this research apply to coloring apps, or only physical coloring books?

Most of the stress-reduction research was conducted with physical coloring, not coloring apps specifically. The repetitive, focused, low-stakes nature of the activity is the mechanism researchers point to, and a coloring app can replicate a lot of that — but it's an honest gap that hasn't been studied the same way for screen-based coloring specifically.

Does the type of coloring page matter — mandalas versus regular pictures?

One study specifically compared mandala coloring to free-form coloring in elementary school students for test anxiety and found both reduced anxiety significantly, contrary to the researchers' own hypothesis that mandalas would work better. The pattern type appears to matter less than the act of coloring itself.

Can Coloring Apps Actually Reduce Stress in Kids?

Coloring gets recommended as a calming activity constantly, but “it’s relaxing” and “it measurably lowers stress” are different claims — and the second one, it turns out, has real research behind it. Here’s what the studies actually found, and an honest look at how much of that transfers from a physical coloring book to a coloring app.

What the Research Actually Shows

A 2018 study published in the Journal of Instructional Studies and Science found that after 20 minutes of coloring, participants showed significantly decreased stress and significantly increased relaxation compared to a control group. Separately, Girija Kaimal, chair of the Department of Creative Arts Therapies at Drexel University, has pointed to measurable changes within as little as 15 minutes of coloring — a genuinely fast effect for a low-effort activity.

The effect isn’t limited to adults. A classroom-based study on mindfulness coloring activities for test anxiety in children, published in the Journal of Applied School Psychology, found the intervention effective at reducing anxiety symptoms in elementary school students. Interestingly, a related study comparing mandala coloring to free-form coloring in kids found both approaches reduced test anxiety significantly — contrary to the researchers’ own expectation that a structured mandala pattern would outperform open coloring. The specific pattern seems to matter less than the repetitive, focused act of coloring itself.

The proposed mechanism is fairly simple: coloring is repetitive and rhythmic, which researchers associate with a lower heart rate and the body’s natural relaxation response, and it’s absorbing enough to shift attention away from a stressor without demanding the kind of effortful concentration that can itself feel like work.

The Honest Gap: Apps Versus Physical Coloring

Here’s the part worth being upfront about: nearly all of this research was conducted with physical coloring — actual pages, actual crayons or markers — not coloring apps specifically. We haven’t found a study that isolates a coloring app from physical coloring and measures the same stress markers.

That doesn’t mean the effect doesn’t transfer. The mechanism researchers point to — repetitive, low-stakes, rhythmic action that’s absorbing without being effortful — is present in a well-designed coloring app too, tapping a region and choosing a color is a similar repetitive, low-stakes motion. But a screen introduces variables physical coloring doesn’t have: notification risk, the temptation to switch apps, and — as we’ve written about separately — ads or engagement mechanics that can undercut the calm the activity is supposed to provide. A coloring app is a plausible way to access a real effect, not a guaranteed one, and the honest answer is that the screen-specific research simply doesn’t exist yet to say so with certainty.

What to Look For If Stress Reduction Is the Goal

If you’re specifically choosing a coloring app to support a calm moment rather than just as general entertainment, a few traits matter more than others:

No ads or interruptions. An ad breaking into a coloring session undercuts the exact mechanism — an absorbing, low-stakes activity — that the research points to.
No timers, badges or competitive mechanics. These reintroduce a low level of pressure that works against a calming effect, even if the underlying activity is still coloring.
A natural stopping point. A page or room with a clear “finished” state lets a session end on its own terms rather than feeling open-ended.

These are the same qualities we prioritize in our best ad-free coloring apps roundup and our autism and sensory needs picks, for related reasons.

Our Take

We’re not researchers, and we’re not claiming our own testing measures stress or anxiety — it doesn’t. What we can say is that the calm, low-distraction qualities the research associates with stress reduction are exactly the qualities our BCA Score framework already prioritizes, for reasons that turn out to line up with the actual science rather than just a marketing claim. If a genuinely calm coloring session is what you’re after, start with an app that scored well on our ads and distractions criterion specifically, rather than assuming “coloring app” alone guarantees the effect.

Sources: A Few Minutes of Coloring Can Erase Your Stress (TIME), How Does Coloring Influence Mood, Stress (Journal of Instructional Studies and Science), Effectiveness of a Classroom Mindfulness Coloring Activity for Test Anxiety in Children (ResearchGate)