According to an article by the Guardian, psychologists believe that when a person keeps a diary and releases their emotions through their pen, they feel better and happier after.  The article coined this the “Bridget Jones Effect”.

The article states, “Brain scans on volunteers showed that putting feelings down on paper reduces activity in a part of the brain called the amygdala, which is responsible for controlling the intensity of our emotions.”

It doesn’t matter what you write – it can be your stream of thought, lines of poetry that you’ve composed or song lyrics.  It’s simply the act of writing and seeing your problem through a different light that helps regulate brain activity.

Here are some findings from the study, conducted in 2009:

-    The scientists conducted a brain scan on their volunteers before asking them to spend 20 minutes each day, for four consecutive days, writing in a journal.  Half of the volunteers wrote about a neutral experience, while the other half wrote about a recent emotional circumstance.  The scientists found that the neural activity connected to strong emotions was eventually lessened for those who wrote about an emotional experience.

-    The findings also saw that men benefitted more than women by writing down their feelings.

-    Writing out your emotions by hand – not typing – also has a better outcome.


For all of our writers out there, have you noticed a difference in the intensity of your feelings after writing in your diaries?  Please share your experience and dairy-keeping habits!