People these days look to diet, religion, exercise, family and friends, among other things to deal with stress. But have you ever given a thought to coloring? The top two best-selling books on Amazon.com Inc. AMZN right now are coloring books for adults. Yes, you read that right.
Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford is topping Amazon’s bestseller lists, with her coloring books "Secret Garden" (No.1) and "Enchanted Forest," (No.2). These have left behind Harper Lee’s hugely anticipated second novel, Go Set a Watchman, and Zoella’s young adult hit, Girl Online.
The surprise doesn’t end here!
According to National Post— “there are several other coloring books for adults now hitting the bestseller lists around the world. In fact, in Britain, five of the top ten titles are now adult coloring books.”
What could be the reason?
Basford told Gizmodo that she believes that there are three reasons behind the popularity of adult coloring books. She believes that coloring provides a creative outlet and at the same time allows you to zone in and brings you back at ease.
Simply put, besides creativity and passing time, adults are primarily turning to coloring books for stress-release.
According to The Christian Science Monitor, research suggests coloring has the ability to lower levels of stress, help relax, enhance creativity, and even help improve sleep and attention spans.
For those fatigued, coloring offers a break from the fast-paced digital world. It takes us back to our comparatively stress-free childhood days.
This Earnings Season Could Drive Up Your Stress Levels
Not too long ago — at the very end of 2014 to be precise — analysts were expecting earnings growth of 4.3% for the first quarter of 2015. To say that projection has dwindled is an understatement: the -4.6% expectation now is akin to a global warming spring thaw ice melt.
To make matters worse, second-quarter expectations are coming down as well. What was expected to be 5.3% earnings growth among the S&P 500 companies has now slipped to a decline of 1.9%, with plenty of time for further downward revisions.
As the first quarter earnings season approaches, which “unofficially” begins with Alcoa’s AA earnings report on Wednesday, all we can do is wait for it to unfold and in the meantime color some stress away!
Stocks that Warrant a Look
Better-ranked stocks in the same space are Autobytel Inc. ABTL, and Groupon GRPN. While Autobytel sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Groupon holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
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