Regulatory effect of drawing on negative emotion: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

This study aimed to explore the role of drawing in regulating anger and sadness via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). A 2 (anger vs. sadness) x 2 (drawing vs. calculating) between-subjects design was employed. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: drawing after triggering anger, drawing after triggering sadness, calculating after triggering anger, or calculating after triggering sadness. An Affect Grid was used to measure the valence and arousal of participants before and after triggering and regulating negative emotion, and the activity data of the prefrontal cortex was measured synchronously by fNIRS. Drawing significantly improved the valence and arousal of sadness, directing it toward more positive and higher arousal. Although drawing significantly improved the valence of anger, its effect on arousal was not evident. Additionally, when drawing regulated sadness, the frontopolar area and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex showed significant deactivations. During 2–4 min, drawing resulted in minimal activation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These brain activity changes during the drawing process demonstrate that drawing is effective in regulating negative emotions, especially sadness. These findings provide an empirical basis for drawing to improve negative emotion and also supplement the study of brain function in drawing.