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If something is weighing on you, you can write down your thoughts and feelings over several days, but don't expect it to cure anything

  • Moderate value
  • Evidence B
  • Saves time
  • Disputed
  • Free
  • Takes minutes
  • No willpower

In plain words

Writing down an upsetting thing has a benefit on average, but a very small one. The pooled conclusions are also inconsistent: two pooled analyses found no effect. It costs almost nothing, so you can try it. If your emotional problems are serious, don't use it in place of seeing a doctor.

Cost

Free. A common approach in the studies is to write 3 to 4 times, 15 to 20 minutes each. Write about one thing that upsets you, and about your deepest thoughts and feelings.

What you get

One analysis pooled 146 randomized studies (a meta-analysis). In the studies, people wrote or talked about things that mattered to them. The average effect was positive and significant but very small, effect size r = .075. Another pooled analysis included only randomized controlled trials; pooling 30 trials, it found no significant effect on either physical or mental health. Pooling 16 randomized trials in cancer patients and survivors, none of psychological, physical or quality-of-life outcomes was significant. For the psychological one, g = 0.04, 95% CI -0.06 to 0.14 (the plausible range).

Notes

Disputed. The side in favor is the pooled analysis of 146 studies, with a positive but very small effect. The side against is two pooled analyses that included only randomized controlled trials, neither of which found a significant effect. The number of sessions and minutes in the cost field come from the earliest experimental design, and are stated in the abstract of the Mogk pooled analysis. It costs almost nothing and takes little time, and one person can do it alone. You can use it when you don't want to talk to someone or have no one to talk to. If you feel worse and worse as you write, stop and call 12356 instead; see §1.25 (12356). Recording the benefit as time is the author's classification, not energy.

Evidence grade
B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.
Sources
  1. Frattaroli J (2006). Experimental disclosure and its moderators: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.6.823
  2. Mogk C, Otte S, Reinhold-Hurley B, Kröner-Herwig B (2006). Health effects of expressive writing on stressful or traumatic experiences - a meta-analysis. Psycho-Social Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736499/
  3. Zachariae R, O'Toole MS (2015). The effect of expressive writing intervention on psychological and physical health outcomes in cancer patients--a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psycho-Oncology. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.3802

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 3, tip 24. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer