Pencil Drawing Art and paintings sketches. Drawing, like many other art forms, aids in relaxation and stress relief by forcing us to pay attention to details in the environment, which mimics the experience of mediation. Spontaneous drawing is also said to relieve stress and improve focus, as it relieves your brain from the strain of continuous concentration. Paintings can stimulate critical thinking, pattern matching, decision-making, idea generation and emotional connection as we search for meaning. Viewing art also helps us explore our emotions and experiences and heal says psychologist and poet Joan Cusack Handler. The subjects of the study exhibited improved critical thinking skills, increased empathy for how people lived in the past, and improved tolerance for people different from themselves. The next time you've got a brain-block, looking at art just might help to clear it up.