The Journal of psychology
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The Journal of psychology · May 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of expressive writing on standardized graduate entrance exam performance and physical health functioning.
A substantial body of literature has demonstrated that expressive writing about an individual's deepest thoughts and feelings regarding a past or ongoing stressful experience results in a wide range of beneficial effects, including physical health and cognitive functioning. The authors examined the effects of writing about a future stressful experience--an impending graduate entrance exam--by comparing the exam performance and physical health functioning of participants who wrote about their deepest thoughts regarding the exam with those of participants who wrote about neutral and nonemotional topics. ⋯ The participants in the experimental group who wrote on 3--compared with fewer--occasions experienced the greatest benefits. The authors propose possible causal mechanisms for the results and suggest future research questions and applications.