Ever noticed that when you finish the day exhausted, your first instinct is to hit up the couch and start the scroll or the TV streaming? You’re not alone.
It’s because we’re depleted and as such, are seeking out an activity with zero friction. It feels like we’re giving our brain what it’s craving, right? Nothingness.
I thought so too. But Creative Health Scientist Katina Bajaj explained to me that what our brain is craving isn’t actually less effort… it’s the right kind of effort. A small, enjoyable challenge that we choose, that has a visible result at the end of it, and that nobody is grading us on. (Permission to be bad at it, in other words!)
Psychologists call it eustress. AKA: good stress. It’s the mild, manageable challenge of learning something new or working through a problem, like picking up a dropped stitch when you’re knitting, or learning a new style of embroidery. It’s this kind of stress our brain loves.
The research backs this up. A study tracking 658 people over 13 days found that creative activity didn't just improve mood in the moment. It improved mood and wellbeing the following day, too. And crucially, the effect only ran one way: creative activity predicted next-day flourishing, but simply being in a good mood didn't predict creativity.
Researchers call it an "upward spiral" where each creative session has a positive impact on your subsequent wellbeing.
So the tiny resistance you feel before picking up a project? That's not a sign you're too tired. That's just friction. And on the other side of it is all the good stuff that makes you feel more restored.
