For those of us who spend a good portion of our personal or professional lives blogging, we are already aware of the intrinsic benefits, much like you don’t have to explain to an athlete that physical activity is emotionally and physically engaging. However, for various public commentators, especially in the media, blogging is seen as a waste of time at best, and an exercise in narcissism at worst. But a new body of research suggests that expressive writing in general, and blogging in particular, may have tangible health benefits.
This research was highlighted in the popular general science magazine, The Scientific American. In a 2008 article, both neuroscientist Alice Flaherty and psychologist James Pennebaker noted the physiological benefits of expressive writing. Flaherty explained that blogging may trigger a dopamine release in much the same way that typical stimulants like music do, making us feel good. Flaherty also conjectured that blogging may serve as a placebo for suffering, in much the same way that complaining has proven to do. Flaherty surmised that this may explain why cancer patients feel better both physically and mentally if they engage in expressive writing immediately preceding treatment.
Penne baker focused on the biological changes that occur with expressive writing. For example, it has been proven that those who engage in expressive writing experience improved sleeping patterns. Nancy Morgan, who was also cited in the Scientific American article, published a paper in the journal Oncologist, which outlined her study that tested expressive writing on cancer patients. Morgan hopes to incorporate more expressive writing programs into cancer patient therapies, and she noted that blogging has potentially more therapeutic value because of its inherently social nature. Morgan was quoted as saying, “Individuals are connecting to one another and witnessing each other’s expressions—the basis for forming a community.”
Even on a more anecdotal level, blogging subjectively improves lives. Take, for example, this blogger’s personal story published in Daily Blogging Tips. The blogger explains how blogging had helped build healthier relationships after having particular trouble in this arena. The blogger Martin Cooney notes:
“How many of you really consider what your relationships are all about? When you put your head down to write a blog post, you engage concentration, research and dwell on the subject to a much more intense degree. When you write a blog post on relationships, the same mechanism comes into play. Take, for example, the area of simply how you communicate with your spouse. How many of you even give that more than a cursory thought? If you were to write about it, your brain springs into deep thought on exactly how, why, when and the reasons around your communication.”
So if you needed any more motivation for continuing to blog, just remember that it is a healthy practice, both for mind and body.
Author Bio:
Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.
Gary,
Nice to see the research behind this! It certainly seems to me the the release you get from talking about your issues with someone would be the same as blogging.
After all both should be somewhat cathartic experiences. But I guess you never know for sure, glad science backs this up!
Awsome info and right to the point. I don’t know if this is really the best place to ask but do you guys have any idea where to hire some professional writers? Thanks in advance
football scores
If you blog about personal life or day to day life then you can easily relieve your mental stress or help your readers in same way. You can express your feelings and get or provide better ideas.
At some point in the past year or so I lost track of why I started blogging in the first place. It became about making sure I put something up to keep from being removed from a network. Or make it about numbers to keep some “authority” in ranking. Or writing because there was something I was supposed to write about.
No doubt that blogging is fun and great to know that it is good for our our mind and body
Overdose of anything is bad,so same rules apply for this also.
Blogging is good info of any current stuff, you can down your strain by express to blog opinion where there are many blogger can your help, indeed it blog writing is great deed.
I always felt that writing expands the mind functions to a large extent. Writing helps to create connection in brains when we are needed to write something structurally sound. Learning music also creates same results.
The more blogging we do the better it is , unlike a commentator above. There is nothing too much about writing and blogging 🙂
I say yes. Blogging is good for me. I can earn through adsenses plus I provide free information too.
turns out that a blog and write to it not only profitable but also improves health by writing in a measure and not strain yourself
Great, now I feel less guilty about becoming a little too much into blogging It’s good for me, right?! 🙂
Hi Gary. Interesting study indeed. As for me, I think that blogging (most of the time), is a positive thing. I feel like I am exercising my brains 🙂 Good to know that “Science” backs this up.
Mariana, Great observations! I’ve always suspected that being able to establish relationships with readers and other bloggers and sharing stories about one’s interests can only be beneficial. Now, thank heavens, there’s proof! I know one tangible benefit of my blogging over the last few years is that I rarely complain anymore. If I feel like ranting I can do so on my blog. Now that my offline friends aren’t subject to hearing me complain I feel that my personal relationships are growing stronger. Blogging is a win-win situation for me!
Blogging is not waste of time, blogging is expressing yourself to the world without knocking on there door.
You have a very informative blog.. I agree with your article.. This motivates blogger to write some more.. Thanks for sharing..
Great post. I have nothing to disagree here. Blogging is fun as well as now, it is good for health…as per your post. But I would like to add one more thing here. Too much of anything is harmful. This goes the same with blogging. Blogging is very addictive. Better keep it less and keep it interesting…!
Agreed with Mariana! Expressing yourself through creative writing via Blogging is indeed healthy for mind. Brainstorming & implementing new ideas on how to write an interesting & effective article helps nourishing the mind. Also it’s good to see that this has been backed up by a research also.
Woohoo – great news! Now my wife can’t complain when I’m sitting at the computer for hours on end 🙂 I’ve got science to back me up!
Hey that’s really very great to know the benefits of expressive writing; that’s true such writing make us feel so good, this really provide immense satisfaction; I like to have this in my down time and I easily get refreshed every time.
I am so happy to hear that blogging is good for me.Now I’ll enjoy it even more.Thanks for sharing!
It is true that expressive writing makes the mind and body healthier because when the mind is engaged in writing activities it becomes wander less. A wander less mind has the capability to create new Ideas. As far as our body health it is said that “when the mind remains healthy, body can also remain healthy”. A person who has engaged his mind in expressive writing gets a good sleep. A good sleep keeps a person’s body much healthier.
The question of ASL writing has popped up with a few recurrent areas of concern spatial referencing the use of NMS Non-Manual Signals or facial body expressions and Palm Orientation. Spatial usage As many have questioned the foremost issue of the use of space in sign language how can this be applied to writing?
I have thought about the benefits of blogging to one’s health even before I was completely hooked by it..but it’s just that I couldn’t seem to find ways on how to explain it .thanks for this blog…now I can explain it better to my husband….
Yes, as you rightly pointed out, so many of the blogs with fairly good content are flooded with ads which makes the blog look like a poster instead
Surely, it is fun for me. I just love blogging whole day long. Don’t know about anyone else. 🙂
I like the fact that the research has shown that it could improve sleeping patterns. thats one thing that I’ve been having trouble with, and that is being able to sleep on a regular pattern. Most of the day I will just stay up too late, talking about going to sleep at 5 am or there abouts, while the next day I might attempt to sleep earlier than that but then I am back again to my bad habits of sleeping at 4 or 5 in the morning.
I also like to think that blogging, and any activity related to writing also stimulates the brain and lets us think, and gets the gears in our heads working. Its great for when we reach old age. As they say…. you have to keep your brain thinking otherwise the older we get the more difficult it will be to remember, etc.
-Jean
Great research, this is such a great help actually. I love writing and this is my life, I agree that writing can actually help your health condition because when you are writing according to your experiences, fun and enjoyment or whatever your stress will gone and your mind is not pressure. This is such a good research and information to all bloggers!
Cheers!
People don’t just want to know the researchers’ conclusions, they want to understand for themselves how the research was done. When you write about a scientific study, avoid the temptation to gloss over details about methods, to omit the data the study produced, or to ignore other relevant studies the authors mention in their introduction.
I hope the idea that regularly writing your thoughts out for others to read and respond to is a positive thing for your psyche and health isn’t news to anyone at this point 🙂
i enjoy writing, it is one way of expressing my thoughts, opinions and feelings and i enjoy it whenever someone appreciates my writings.
I fully agree that blogging is fun and very enjoyable. Excellent post indeed.
Excellent post, i love writing blogs that’s why i agree that blogging is fun and enjoyable . Because writing a blogs make my mind healthier and it widen my knowledge
Blogging is indeed doubt. Without any further debate I truly think that it gives a lot of benefits especially for people who would like to earn at the same time learn. I am a blogger and I am earning through adsense. Long live blogging!
Blogging is not just for fun, if you are serious about it then it could mean money.
I like the fact that the research has shown that it could improve sleeping patterns !! No doubt that blogging is fun
Yes but if overdose it then it will be dangerous like any other thing 🙂
Yes it is good for me, because of blogging i get a chance to interact the people across the world and share my and their views with each other.
I agree! It’s the best thing that has happened to the Internet world after the invention of actual diaries and journals.
Anytime you put your thoughts on paper to help someone learn something new has to be helpful. Commenting to be express your feelings is awesome in itself.
Mr MakingUsmile
Good to know that blogging is good for you because it certainly is enjoyable.
If you have a power to write well then definitely blogging give you the best chance to be a money man. Yes, with blogging you can monetize.
Its a great news! My goal with blogging is to strengthen my writing skills, also to share everything that I learn about WordPress and Web Design. So far I am really loving and enjoying what I do and hopefully in years to come.
blogging is fun if you know what you are updating and writing. Blogging can be a hard task because you may run out of things to write. That’s why in the first place you need to choose the right niche that you can enjoy updating.
Blogging can also be a stressful task especially if you want to span or rewrite something.
Blogging makes us feel good whenever we want to express our thoughts and our feelings. The problem is sometimes our post is just rants and the proper rules in writing beautifully is not neglected. If we don’t want to change our wrong ways in writing blogs then I think we should just blog for ourselves for the sake of venting out our feeling but not in making our blogs famous for something.
Like other forms of art expressive writing is a great outlet of our emotions. It is a great means of releasing all our tensions and anxiety.
Blogging is an entertaining activity. It enhanced my writing, thinking ability and creativity too.
This is a good article. I have to agree with everything said. I have been writing since 2007 and writing is very beneficial to my health. Not only is it beneficial to my health, it is what I love doing: writing. This font is so small, home my writing is okay.