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Writing a diary may be bad for your health
August 23, 2004Keeping a personal diary and making frequent entries has been found to be associated with poor psychological well being.
These are the findings presented today, Wednesday 8th September, by Dr Elaine Duncan of Glasgow Caledonian University and Dr David Sheffield of Staffordshire University at the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology Annual Conference, hosted by Queen Margaret University College and taking place at Pollock Halls in Edinburgh.
Research by psychologists has previously found that writing about traumatic experiences can improve mood, boost immune function and improve well being in clinical samples. However, few studies have investigated the effects of writing, outside the laboratory, in the real world.
In this study, 94 participants who reported regularly keeping a diary were compared with 41 participants who never kept a diary.
The results showed that the participants who regularly kept a diary reported greater levels of anxiety and somatic symptoms (e.g. headaches, feeling run down, aches and pains). In addition, participants who re-read their diaries were found to report greater levels of anxiety and distress.
Dr Duncan said: "These findings are surprising as they run contrary to existing studies, suggesting the need to do more research of this kind to test whether writing about stressful experiences is actually good for you."
British Psychological Society (BPS)
In this study, 94 participants who reported regularly keeping a diary were compared with 41 participants who never kept a diary.
The results showed that the participants who regularly kept a diary reported greater levels of anxiety and somatic symptoms (e.g. headaches, feeling run down, aches and pains). In addition, participants who re-read their diaries were found to report greater levels of anxiety and distress.
Dr Duncan said: "These findings are surprising as they run contrary to existing studies, suggesting the need to do more research of this kind to test whether writing about stressful experiences is actually good for you."
British Psychological Society (BPS)
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