VOA慢速英语2016--涂色本有助于减少成人压力

Coloring Books Can Cut Stress for Adults 涂色本有助于减少成人压力

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

Coloring is an activity that children worldwide have long enjoyed. With a picture already made for them, kids simply choose a crayon, pencil or marker of their favorite color and fill it in.

But why should children get to have all the fun?

Now they don’t.

More and more adults are enjoying relaxing hours of coloring.

This is thanks to a new book craze in the United States and in other countries around the world – an adult coloring book craze. In December, five of the top ten best-selling books in the United States were coloring books made for adults.

They're fun but are coloring books good for you?

Artist Trina Lucido creates coloring books. To find inspiration for her drawings, she says she doesn’t have to look far.

"One day I saw a beautiful leaf and – boom! – I did a whole page on leaves. So, some came from sketchbooks. Some were just one-word inspiration and some I just saw something on the ground and that was my inspiration that day."

Trina Lucido's latest coloring book contains 40 pages filled with hand-sketched drawings of flowers, birds and geometric shapes. It also has spaces to journal – in other words, to write about what you’re doing or thinking. Journaling has long been an exercise in many types of therapy.

Lucido says the “big idea” behind her latest book is to help encourage people do something creative.

"It’s called Color, Write and Create. I wanted to do something that would encourage people to be creative. When I do art journaling, people see my journals and (they go), ‘Oh my gosh! I wish I were creative.' And that makes me sad because I think everybody is creative. So the idea behind this book, the big idea is to encourage people to be creative..."

Lucido says the positive feedback from her customers is encouraging. She says that many of her customers are buying the coloring books for others who are sick or having challenges.

Lucido adds that the act of coloring becomes almost healing, or as she says, “therapeutic².”

“Something else I heard from people, they are buying these for people who are either ill or going through a rough time, and they feel that this is something that kind of helps them, almost therapeutically³. "

Art therapy experts have said in several articles (add link) that coloring can reduce stress by focusing you on a simple task. When you are filling in a flower with a vibrant⁴ purple color, you focus on the flower and not on your troubles.

Experts add that coloring can bring out your imagination and can take you back to your childhood.

Psychologists add that coloring activates⁶ your brain in a healthy way. The shape and form of the drawings activate⁵ one side of the brain, while the color and texture⁷ of the drawing material activates the other.

Coloring also exercises a person’s fine motor skills. But people drawn⁸ to coloring books probably are not thinking of exercising their fine motor skills.

Susan Jackson is a big fan of Lucido’s coloring books.

Jackson stands in a local store in the Washington, D.C. area. She holds one of Lucido’s coloring books in her hands. As she flips⁹ through the book, she says she is drawn to their beauty and authenticity¹⁰. Sitting down and coloring, Jackson adds, relaxes her and just makes her feel happy.

"Oh, it is very relaxing. Any stress just sort of falls away. It frees your mind. And it's not as daunting¹¹ as trying to fill a blank page. The pictures, I think, are just happy. They just make me feel happy. I love her little birds. There is just something about them. They make me smile. So I'm saving the bird pictures to the very end, I think."

For now, there is strong demand for adult coloring books. That fact keeps Lucido happy and busy.

Words in This Story

craze – n. something that is very popular for a period of time

inspiration – n. a person, place, experience, etc., that makes someone want to do or create something

boom! – interjection indicates that something has happened suddenly

sketch¹ – n. a quick, rough drawing that shows the main features of an object or scene

geometric – adj. of, relating to, or according to the methods or principles of geometry

journal – n. a book in which you write down your personal experiences and thoughts

therapeutic – adj. producing good effects on your body or mind :

vibrant – adj. very bright and strong

encourage – v. to make (someone) more likely to do something : to make (someone) more determined¹², hopeful, or confident

positive feedback – n. helpful information or criticism that is given to someone to say what can be done to improve a performance, product, etc.

drawn – v. to bring toward oneself or itself, as by inherent force or influence; attract:

authenticity – n. real or genuine : not copied or false

daunting – adj. tending to make people afraid or less confident : very difficult to do or deal with

1 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

2 therapeutic   

adj.治疗的，起治疗作用的；对身心健康有益的

参考例句：

• Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
• When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候，音乐有治疗效力。

3 therapeutically   

[医]adv.在治疗上

参考例句：

• A lead compound will have some property considered therapeutically useful. 一种先导化合物应具有治疗作用的特性。 来自互联网
• Drugs causing fibrinolysis have been utilized therapeutically. 纤维蛋白溶解药物已被用于临床治疗。 来自互联网

4 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

5 activate   

vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

参考例句：

• We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
• These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。

6 activates   

使活动，起动，触发( activate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Activates the window and displays it in its current size and position. 激活窗口，保持当前的大小及位置不变。
• Pulling out the alarm switch activates alarm and pushing it deactivates it. 闹钟的开和关是通过拔出和按入闹铃开关实现的。

7 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

8 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

9 flips   

轻弹( flip的第三人称单数 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• Larry flips on the TV while he is on vacation in Budapest. 赖瑞在布达佩斯渡假时，打开电视收看节目。
• He flips through a book before making a decision. 他在决定买下一本书前总要先草草翻阅一下。

10 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。

11 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

12 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。