There is a form of writing which has been shown to have remarkable effects on research subjects' well-being, social functioning, and cognitive abilities. The best-known of the scientists who study 'expressive writing' is James W. Pennebaker, chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas. Pennebaker and several others around the world have found that a short series brief exercises of this particular form of writing about emotional upheavals can improve physical and mental health. An early study In his accessible book Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions (free chapter here) Pennebaker describes an early experiment. Fifty students were asked to …
