Many articles online claim that knitting can reduce blood pressure. For those of us who associate knitting with rest, focus and relaxation, this idea seems completely believable. I’ve even received messages from knitters who noticed lower readings during medical monitoring.
But after several years of researching the benefits of knitting, I still haven’t been able to find the actual study that directly measured this effect. So, with help from our Instagram community, we launched an investigation.
Our goal was simple: find the original source, understand what was studied, and determine whether the claim is accurate.
What we learned about knitting and blood pressure research
1. There is no published Harvard study measuring knitting and blood pressure
Many articles state that researchers at the Mind-Body Institute at Harvard Medical School found that knitting reduces blood pressure. Some even cite Harvard Medical School (2007), The Relaxation Response as a source.
However, despite extensive searching, and help from many determined and well-qualified knitters, we have not been able to find a study that investigates knitting and blood pressure directly.
I reached out to Betsan Corkhill, author of Knit for Health and Wellness and several peer-reviewed articles on knitting and mental health. She confirmed that she has never found a specific study measuring blood pressure in relation to knitting. She suggested that Herbert Benson, founder of the Mind-Body Institute, may have spoken more generally about how “activities like knitting” can elicit the Relaxation Response, which can reduce blood pressure.
It’s possible that:
- a study took place but was never published, or
- knitting was simply used as an example of a calming activity, not an object of research
As far as we can determine, no published Harvard Medical school study has investigated a link, so we cannot use this reference to claim that knitting reduces blood pressure.
2. Why it’s important to check our sources
This investigation highlights a key point: always check the original source.
In the age of AI, this is more important than ever. AI systems often repeat claims found elsewhere, and if those claims have been repeated many times, they begin to sound authoritative, even when no original evidence exists.
3. Interpret results cautiously
Another common issue is confusion between correlation and causation. A study may show that two things are linked, but that doesn’t mean one caused the other.
For example, a recent study we discussed in our Journal Club examined the link between crochet and attention (link below). Participants who crocheted for 20 minutes performed significantly better on an attention test compared to a control group. This shows an association, not necessarily a cause. However, the strength of this study was that it also included brain-imaging data. This suggested improved connectivity between brain areas involved in attention, strengthening the conclusions.
If we imagine a similar study about knitting and blood pressure, even a single positive finding would still only show correlation. We would need multiple studies confirming the effect and ruling out other variables before concluding that knitting reduces blood pressure.
4. Knitters are deeply interested in research
One of the best parts of this investigation was discovering just how many knitters care about research into knitting and wellbeing. Our community values evidence-based information, and many people used their access to academic databases to help follow the trail.
Thanks to knitters Dana Williams-Johnson and Nessa Hubbard, we were directed to a new study published this year. It found that in a group of nursing-home residents with high blood pressure, a craft programme, which included knitting was associated with lower blood pressure, reduced stress and less depression. You can find the abstract linked below.
If you can’t access the full text, don’t worry—we’ll be summarising this study in an upcoming Journal Club podcast episode in January 2026.
Conclusion: Why evidence matters
In a world where AI tools are often used as sources of information, it’s more important than ever to verify claims with original research. While knitting may well have calming effects, we cannot claim that it reduces blood pressure unless this has been investigated and demonstrated in reputable and robust research studies.
However, research into crafts, creativity and wellbeing is growing quickly. We look forward to sharing accessible summaries of new studies as this field develops.
References
Study into crochet and attention: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-88777-9#citeas).
Study into a creative handicraft programme (including knitting) and blood pressure https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40321116/
