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National Geographic

How knitting may be rewiring your brain

From knitting to woodwork, slow and steady hobbies may offer surprising brain benefits, including reduced stress and better long-term memory. Photograph by Dusan Ladjevic, Getty Images 'Grandma hobbies' like knitting are making a comeback among Gen Z—but it's not just for nostalgia. Neuroscience shows these tactile pastimes may help preserve brain health as we age. The rhythmic click of needles. The softness of yarn running over fingertips. The satisfying logic of knit, purl, repeat. Knitting—and other so-called 'grandma hobbies'—is making a comeback, especially among younger generations. According to Eventbrite data, Gen Z's interest in 'grannycore' gatherings, such as knitting circles and needlework workshops, has surged in recent months, driven in part by a search for relief from digital burnout. But the benefits go beyond nostalgia. Recent studies suggest that slow, tactile tasks, such as knitting, may activate brain systems in ways that support long-term cognitive health in various ways, including engaging memory, attention, and motor function, while helping to regulate stress. In other words, regardless of age or gender, engaging in hands-on, mentally demanding hobbies—whether knitting, wood carving, or model building—may be one of the simplest ways to support brain health. Here's what the science says. How knitting activates your brain While meditation and puzzles also offer brain benefits, knitting uniquely combines fine motor coordination, creative planning, and rhythmic bilateral movement—all of which engage different brain systems at once. This kind of creativity in any capacity is helpful, says Emily Sharp, a licensed therapist at NY Art Therapy. That bilateral stimulation—created by the alternating use of both hands—is similar to what's used in EMDR therapy, says Sharp, adding that this type of stimulation is linked to reduced cortisol levels, increased serotonin and dopamine, and improved emotional regulation. It also engages the brain's dopamine system in ways that can improve focus and potentially delay age-related cognitive decline, says Alvaro Pascual-Leone, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and chief medical officer at Linus Health. A 2024 study in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience supports this outlook, demonstrating how creative endeavors activate the brain's dopaminergic reward network, particularly in areas deeply involved in pleasure, motivation, and mood. But unlike the dopamine spikes triggered by scrolling or sugar, knitting provides a slower, steadier reward. (Do crossword puzzles really keep your brain sharp?) That's key, Pascual-Leone says: 'It's not good to have too much [dopamine], it's not good to have too little. A steady, pleasant functioning of the brain is better than a binging of chemicals.' Plus, since activities like knitting require planning, sequencing, and problem-solving, they activate executive function alongside motor and emotional systems. This full-brain engagement helps reinforce neural connectivity, a crucial tool for maintaining the brain's flexibility and resilience as we age. If you are already an accomplished knitter, don't pat yourself on the back just yet. The cognitive benefits of activities like knitting aren't about the task itself—they're about the process of learning something new. 'If you've never knitted, then knitting is perfect,' says Pascual-Leone. 'But if you are a professional knitter, then not so much. It can give you a sense of accomplishment, which is valuable, but the goal is to make your brain work on solving a challenge it has never done before.' (Here's why adults need to make time for playtime.) Novelty matters. When you challenge the brain with unfamiliar tasks, such as learning to knit, it lights up new pathways, offering a unique neurological boost. With time and repetition, those same actions become fluent and meditative, allowing the brain to shift into a restorative flow state. This challenge-to-mastery arc helps maintain neural plasticity. However, you must continually reinvent the challenges for your brain as you master old ones. The good news? The cognitive challenge doesn't have to be big or lofty, says Pasucal-Leone: 'What is actually critical is to give your brain a challenge it hasn't yet mastered.' Cognitive decline begins to develop decades before there's any outward evidence, says Lakelyn Eichenberger, a gerontologist and caregiving advocate at Home Instead, which is why engaging in mentally stimulating hobbies throughout one's life is so important. 'Challenging your brain in these ways will be really good for you in terms of long-term brain health,' she says. For aging brains, creative hobbies can offer a form of low-stakes cognitive training—mental workouts that strengthen neural wiring and flexibility over time. Sharp says tactile hobbies create 'greater brain connectivity that helps aging populations where neurons are naturally dying off as the aging process happens.' Activities like quilting, cross-stitching, whittling, pottery, or even bookbinding offer similar cognitive benefits, especially when they involve both hands, sequence-based thinking, and a learning curve. (Here's why having a hobby is good for your brain and body.) While there is a notion that we are better off engaging in tech-driven activities targeted at brain health, Pascual-Leone says we may only need those tools because we've abandoned traditional pastimes. Unlike brain games or apps, these tactile activities offer emotional benefits, which can help reduce cortisol levels and meet the brain's need for social interaction, says Eichenberger. Group knitting circles or crafting classes, for instance, can help reduce loneliness and provide emotional grounding, especially during major life transitions such as retirement. Eichenberger adds that 'people who engage in these activities often report themselves as happier, healthier, and more satisfied with life.' A meta-analysis in BMC Public Health underscores this point, highlighting how hands-on, repetitive hobbies may boost psychological well-being. Other research shows that among individuals with Parkinson's disease, creative art interventions improve memory, dexterity, and emotional resilience, suggesting benefits even in late-stage neurodegeneration, indicating it's never too late to start these hobbies. 'We focus so much on the medical side of aging,' Eichenberger says, 'but we have to consider our physical, mental, and emotional health, and these leisure activities are part of that.'