Good news for writers: Writing can be good for your health
Here’s some feel-good good news, writers: Writing is good for you. That’s according to this piece at mic.com by Rachel Grate.
She writes:
No matter the quality of your prose, the act of writing itself leads to strong physical and mental health benefits, like long-term improvements in mood, stress levels and depressive symptoms. In a 2005 study on the emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing, researchers found that just 15 to 20 minutes of writing three to five times over the course of the four-month study was enough to make a difference.
Grate also writes about studies that show that “people with asthma who write have fewer attacks than those who don’t; AIDS patients who write have higher T-cell counts. Cancer patients who write have more optimistic perspectives and improved quality of life.”
She’s talking about “expressive writing”—writing about your feelings or about a trauma or illness you’ve suffered. I’m unaware of any studies showing that writing, say, an NBA draft prospects slideshow will have physical and mental health benefits. But maybe nobody’s thought to study it yet.
Another thing about expressive writing, though, even 15 to 20 minutes of it at a time: It’s got a good chance of making your sportswriting better too.
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