Science Shows Something Surprising About People Who Love to Write

admin | August 22, 2015 | Writing

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Did you know the benefits of writing go far beyond building up your vocabulary.

I find writing to be one of the most enjoyable activities. There is nothing that I like better than to sit on my couch at the end of the day with a cup of tea and write for an hour or so.

If you are a blogger, a journalist, a poet or an author then you are in for some good news!

The act of writing has some INCREDIBLE benefits to your body. At first I thought that this could just be to reduce stress levels, the way meditation does, but according to the article below the benefits reach far beyond that.

So if you have been procrastinating on whether to pick up that pen or open up your computer, hopefully this will motivate you to get a move on!

Additional Information

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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.

By writing about traumatic, stressful or emotional events, participants were significantly more likely to have fewer illnesses and be less affected by trauma. Participants ultimately spent less time in the hospital, enjoyed lower blood pressure and had better liver functionality than their counterparts.

It turns out writing can make physical wounds heal faster as well.

In 2013, New Zealand researchers monitored the recovery of wounds from medically necessary biopsies on 49 healthy adults. The adults wrote about their thoughts and feelings for just 20 minutes, three days in a row, two weeks before the biopsy. Eleven days later, 76% of the group that wrote had fully healed. Fifty-eight percent of the control group had not recovered. The study concluded that writing about distressing events helped participants make sense of the events and reduce distress.

Even those who suffer from specific diseases can improve their health through writing. Studies have shown 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.

Writers are doing something right.