College e-mail study echoes benefits of longhand diaries

By Marilyn Elias
USA Today

Pouring your most painful traumas out on a computer screen can improve your health, according to one of the first studies on how e-mail may influence well-being.

Evidence has mounted in the past 15 years that writing in longhand about traumas — from rape to family deaths — leads to better mental and physical health. Now it looks as though laptop diaries or e-mails can work, too.

In the new study (rev.tamu.edu/stories/02/041702-13.html), 143 college students were randomly assigned to write e-mails about either the most traumatic experiences of their lives or neutral topics for 20 minutes a day on three consecutive days. They sent their e-mails to psychologists at Texas A&M University and were guaranteed anonymity. Then participants filled out weekly e-mail health surveys for five weeks.

Those who wrote about painful memories felt sick for four days during the period, compared with nearly six days for classmates whose e-mails covered neutral themes. Students writing about ordinary topics also missed more class.

In past research using paper diaries, health benefits were strongest for those who moved from "venting" to new perspective, said psychologist Erin Brown, co-author of the new study. They didn't check to see if the same was true for e-mailers. But it probably was, "since those who begin to use words like 'because,' 'understand' and 'realize' show signs of processing the trauma and letting go of the stress," Brown said.

"Just blowing off steam isn't sufficient," emphasizes University of Texas psychologist James Pennebaker, whose studies were the first to show the health benefits of writing about trauma. Improved immune function, lower blood pressure and heart rate have been found in those who committed terrible experiences to paper "and got some perspective and growth from that," Pennebaker said.