Posted by Helen on: 05.27.2008 /
My husband looked through the new issue of Scientific American and helpfully pointed out it included an article about the benefits of blogging. Quoting from the article
Self-medication may be the reason the blogosphere has taken off. Scientists (and writers) have long known about the therapeutic benefits of writing about personal experiences, thoughts and feelings. But besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism, expressive writing produces many physiological benefits. Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery. A study in the February issue of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not.
That paragraph applies to any expressive writing, but the article ends with an application specifically using blogs
Some hospitals have started hosting patient-authored blogs on their Web sites as clinicians begin to recognize the therapeutic value. Unlike a bedside journal, blogging offers the added benefit of receptive readers in similar situations, Morgan explains: “Individuals are connecting to one another and witnessing each other’s expressions—the basis for forming a community.”
Comment by: karen
1 05/27/08 11:43 AM | Comment Link |Interesting, and makes a lot of sense. A good friend of mine who has cancer (in remission) started a blog about her treatment and she’s found great benefits from it, so much so that she’s started a second blog about one of her hobbies.
On the other hand, some blogging can be both self-destructive and addictive, as chronicled in this cover story in last Sunday’s NY Times magazine.
Comment by: Helen
2 05/27/08 6:59 PM | Comment Link |Karen thanks for that link - yikes.