“Get some crayons and a coloring book to turn adorable pictures into twisted and or hilarious corruptions of their former selves,” encourages the description of the subreddit started nearly a decade ago, in March of 2014.

In a previous interview with Bored Panda, its founder, u/CrayonsForBrains, revealed that it all started when they saw their cousin’s coloring book. “I started chuckling because some of the characters were just so crazy-looking. The next natural step was to bring the psychotic energy that I saw in their eyes to life,” they explained.

“As a regular Reddit user, I realized there were probably a lot of others out there who would get a kick out of it. So, I made our website and started the subreddit,” the founder added; and they were seemingly right as nowadays, over 170k members are there to enjoy its contents.

Judging by the images shared on the subreddit, it’s clear that ‘Coloring Corruptions’ is not your typical kids’ coloring book-like material. But that just goes to show that people of all ages can enjoy such an activity.

Assistant professor at Loyola Marymount University Jessica Bianchi seconded the idea that coloring can be beneficial for people of all ages. “In fact, there have been multiple studies that show that coloring can lower overall stress and even help those diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder,” she told Bored Panda in a recent interview.

“Coloring, especially coloring within a boundary like a coloring page, a mandala or even a stencil can be very emotionally regulating and containing, meaning that if a person is feeling dysregulated, stressed, or anxious, coloring offers a tactile activity that can calm the central nervous system, be grounding and provide a literal container for challenging emotions.”

Coloring is just one of many ways painting or art in general can ameliorate one’s well-being. That’s why art therapy is widely used to help people express themselves and deal with certain emotions and behavioral matters, among other things, all while immersing themselves in creative processes.

“Art therapy is an integrative mental health discipline that requires a master's degree and is facilitated by a registered or board-certified art therapist. It is equal parts psychology and expressive art,” Bianchi pointed out. “Art therapists work with a diverse range of populations using the creative art process and product to provide clinical services such as assessment and diagnosis, goal setting and treatment planning, and overall psychological support depending on the individual's needs.”

“Although there are many advantages to art therapy, the main benefit of art therapy is that through the creative process—creating and reflecting on the artistic product—art therapy increases both the clients’ and the therapists' understanding of the psychological, emotional, and behavioral experience,” Bianchi suggested.

“This could be with a child who is developmentally and cognitively unable to express in words experiences or events that are challenging them or this could be with an adult couple who might be experiencing an impasse in their verbal communication. By creating and exploring an image or form, art therapy can help clients gain a deeper understanding of the issue, offer different perspectives and possible alternative ways of being.”

A study spanning over nearly two decades revealed that art therapy can have a noticeable positive effect on people, resulting in significant improvements in their emotional state and perceived symptoms of certain conditions, among other things. It also suggested that art therapy can help healthcare professionals as well, as it reportedly helps mitigate levels of work-related stress and anxiety, and reduce burnout.

According to Gitnux, art therapy can help reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress by as much as 73%. Moreover, when used as a group activity, such a form of therapy is believed to significantly minimize negative emotions and feelings of isolation in people with mental illnesses.

Art therapy can arguably benefit everyone, which makes children no exception. Recent studies point out that it improves their mental health and well-being by increasing their sense of safety, empowerment, and hope, among other things. In addition to that, it emphasized that art therapy can be particularly important for expressing complex emotions and feelings which can’t be easily verbalized.

“Creating art—even something as simple as coloring—is extremely important for children,” Jessica Bianchi told Bored Panda. “Not only does it offer children a developmentally appropriate language to express and explore their experiences, creating art provides countless opportunities for children to practice social and emotional learning (SEL).”

“Commonly referred to as SEL, these are skills that focus on developing a child's self-awareness, ability to manage challenging emotions in a healthy way, practice empathy for others and build positive relationships in their communities,” the expert in art therapy explained.

“The act of making art allows a child to engage in healthy self-expression, practice problem solving, planning, and frustration tolerance as well as engage in perspective taking and peer collaboration.”

Asst. Prof. Bianchi emphasized that SEL has been linked to many positive outcomes across the lifespan. “Recent studies find correlations between SEL and considerable productive gains in education, prosperity, and wellbeing, as well as a reduction in crime and drug use. Ultimately, it provides as many opportunities as possible for children to express themselves and connect with others through creative expression, builds adults that are self-aware, mindful, and compassionate, and who doesn't want more of those people in the world?"

If you’ve enjoyed browsing this list of ‘Coloring Corruptions’, make sure to give Bored Panda’s previous editions a go, too; move on to view the times adults improvised and ‘ruined’ kids’ coloring books here and here.