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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Nicola Davis Science correspondent

Arts and crafts give greater life satisfaction than work, survey suggests

Tom Daley sat with his Team GB teammates while knitting a jumper
Do as Tom Daley does: survey respondents who engaged in arts and crafting had higher scores for happiness and life satisfaction. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

Winston Churchill had painting, Judi Dench is famous for her rude embroidery and Tom Daley has been known to knit at the Olympics. Now researchers say we could all benefit from creative endeavours and that such pursuits have a bigger influence on life satisfaction than having a job.

While arts and crafts have long been used to aid mental health, experts said most research has looked at their effect on patients rather than the general population, and tend to look at specific activities.

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