Artistic and cultural activities, such as theater, dance, reading or going to concerts could make adolescents have less antisocial and criminalized behavior up to two years later. This is explained by a study carried out by members of University College London (United Kingdom) that analyzed more than 25,000 adolescents in the United States.
The research, which has been published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence (JOYO), focused on measuring the participants’ commitment to a series of artistic activities such as attendance at school clubs, choirs, orchestras, after-school art classes or if they had visited concerts, museums or if they read books on their own.
The study findings showed that the more artistic activities adolescents attended, the less risk they had of engaging in some antisocial behavior, which ranged from misbehaving at school to other more dangerous behaviors, such as stealing or selling drugs, even up to two years later.
Greater self-control thanks to artistic activities
In addition, the researchers also found that teens who spent more time with art had higher self-control scores and viewed antisocial behavior as negative, making them less likely to engage in trouble and risky behavior.
Artistic activities would reduce antisocial behaviors thanks to empathy, self-esteem, less boredom and better emotional regulation
“It is important to find ways to reduce antisocial behavior among adolescents because these behaviors can become established and continue into adulthood, affecting someone’s entire life. Our findings demonstrate the importance of making arts and cultural activities available to all young people, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has limited access to and funding for these resources,” explains Dr. Jess Bone , lead author of the study.
Although the study is observational and no conclusions can be drawn, the researchers believe that artistic activities can reduce antisocial behaviors by improving empathy, improving self-esteem, more prosocial behavior, less boredom and better regulation of emotions. .
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