Researchers from Denison University, Ohio led by Kristina L. Steiner have conducted a survey and a study on how people could benefit from writing about chapters of their lives.
This is in connection with previous work which suggest that when people introspect and share their life stories, they get some kind of psychological benefit from it. Although most of these have only been tested on older people and those with depression or chronic physical illnesses.
Steiner’s team tested three groups of healthy American participants across three studies. The participants were asked to complete various questionnaires measuring their mood, self-esteem and self-concept clarity, among other things. Then half of them were allocated to write about four chapters in their lives, spending 10 minutes on each.
The other half of the participants, who acted as a control group, spent the same time writing about four famous Americans of their choosing (to make this task more intellectually comparable, they were also instructed to reflect on the links between the individuals they chose, how they became famous, and other similar questions).
The participants who wrote about chapters in their lives displayed small, but statistically significant, increases to their self-esteem, whereas the control-group participants did not.
In my experience, I find that keeping a journal can also be therapeutic in a way. I've had to deal with certain stress-induced episodes of anxiety, fear, and confusion before. Writing helped me process and deal with what was going on within and around me.
There is still much to be explored with regard to self-introspection and its effects on our confidence, self-concept, and meaning. But it has done wonders for me and nothing would be lost by trying. -via Aeon
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