As technology advances, people spend more time in front of a screen than ever before. Coupled with remote work, excessive social media usage, news content and the COVID-19 pandemic, the average user sits in front of a screen for nearly seven hours daily.  

For this reason, you might think that photography seems counterintuitive — however, photography opens doors to creative expression and improved mental health. Here are five reasons you should take up photography for your mental and emotional well-being. 

1. Serves As a Creative Outlet

As COVID-19 swept through nations and global lockdowns forced people to isolate themselves with their thoughts and feelings, many found art and creativity as an effective means of therapy.

Studies show that having a creative outlet like photography enables people to experience and verbalize their emotions while serving as a distraction from challenging situations. The act of creating art allows people to work through their problems and transform negative emotions into positive ones.

Photography can also positively affect mood disorders — for example, depression and bipolar disorder — with researchers uncovering the role creativity plays in cultivating mindfulness in artists, writers, and musicians with mental health conditions. 

2. Boosts Self-Esteem

Scrolling through your Instagram feeds without stumbling across a selfie is impossible. Perhaps you’re even notorious for positing them yourself. Although selfies have garnered less-than-favorable discourse at times, some studies indicate that a stellar selfie game can actually help boost your self-esteem.

In a recent survey, 442 Chinese women filled out a questionnaire about posting selfies and how positive feedback, such as likes and comments, impacted their body image. The results revealed that selfies significantly improved how the women felt about themselves.

The next time you hesitate to post a selfie to your social media feed, you may want to reconsider as it can enhance your sense of self-worth and confidence.

3. Reduces Social Anxiety

Portrait photography has come a long way since the 1850s, when tintypes took the world by storm. Back then, portraiture was a special occasion where people dressed up for their pictures and rarely smiled for a more formal, timeless expression — a nod to pre-photographic portraits. 

However, today’s portrait photography aims to capture people’s personalities through poses, facial expressions, lighting, and backdrops. It’s also effective in reducing social anxiety.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIHM), social anxiety disorder affected 7.1% of Americans ages 18 or older in the last year. Additionally, social anxiety was more prevalent among adult females than males by 8%.

If you have social anxiety or are an introvert, approaching someone for a picture may seem terrifying. However, the camera serves as the perfect icebreaker, forcing you to muster up the courage to interact with the world around you for your art.

It’s impossible to anticipate a stranger’s response to having their picture taken, but more often than not, they’ll be happy to oblige. Portraiture is also a great way to learn about someone’s story. 

Of course, always show them the picture after you take it. They may even ask for a copy.

4. Captures Happy Memories

Have you ever gone somewhere and wished you could encapsulate a moment of bliss for a lifetime? Photography allows you to capture even the most mundane moments that hold beautiful meaning and memories for you. 

Researchers have found that taking one daily photograph and posting it online is an excellent form of self-care, helping to build community interaction and allowing you to reminisce about a happy time or state of being.

According to the study, committing to one daily photo also provides a greater sense of purpose and achievement. Sitting indoors in a pile of stress or grief is often too easy for some people, but photography encourages you to step outside and live in the arena again. 

As for posting pictures online, feedback on your work tends to have a similar effect as selfies. Online interactions can help boost self-worth and foster new relationships with others.

5. Allows You to Spend Time in Nature

Nature helps heal poor mental health and studies show that spending only 120 minutes per week in nature positively affects your overall well-being. Furthermore, just 20 to 30 minutes a day walking or sitting outside can lower your cortisol levels — also known as the stress hormone.

Nature or landscape photography delivers the perfect opportunity to step outdoors. With your camera in hand, you can showcase the world’s beauty, from mountains to open fields and even the little details of a single flower. 

Additionally, landscape photography can be an effective therapeutic tool for improving feelings of depression, anxiety, or trouble concentrating. In fact, just staring at nature for 40 seconds triggers the brain into a relaxed, restorative state while improving cognitive functioning.

In some ways, landscape photography allows us to escape reality as we grow immersed in new environments. To capture the perfect scene, photographers often have to hone in on mindfulness techniques and become entirely present wherever they work. 

Improve Your Mental Health With Photography

Photography is an art form anyone can learn to improve their mental health. When we channel our feelings into creative practice, we can express ourselves better, understand and manage our thoughts and emotions and connect with others. 

Have you used photography for mental or emotional wellbeing?

Share your thoughts and comments with us.

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