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Blogging is healthy

My hubby gets Scientific American and he photocopied an article for me from their June edition. The full article isn’t available online but some of it is and I thought I’d share it with you.

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.

Scientists now hope to explore the neurological underpinnings at play, especially considering the explosion of blogs. According to Alice Flaherty, a neuroscientist at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital, the placebo theory of suffering is one window through which to view blogging. As social creatures, humans have a range of pain-related behaviors, such as complaining, which acts as a “placebo for getting satisfied,” Flaherty says. Blogging about stressful experiences might work similarly.

You can purchase a copy online at the link in my first para.

How about that? Now you can say blogging is a healthy activity!

blogging, healthy, therapeutic, writing, blogosphere, Scientific American

Kathie Thomas

Kathie is the former owner of VA Directory and is former past President of the Australian VA Association. She founded the Virtual Assistant industry in Australia in the mid 90s, having already been operating a home-based secretarial service. Today the VA industry covers a multitude of office-based services for clients worldwide.

Comments

  1. Heidi Richards Mooney says

    3 August 2008 at 8:36 am

    Kathy,

    Great information! Now I know why you have 14+ blogs! I have 7 and my favorite thing to do is write in at least one of them daily.

    I wonder how many blogs we need to reach immortality :)?

    Have a great Sunday,

    Heidi

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  2. Claudia L. Meyrech, CN says

    4 August 2008 at 6:37 am

    Kathy,

    Sorry to hear about your server challenges in your previous post, but according to this post, just blogging about it must have been a great help:-)

    Claudia L. Meydrech, CN

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  3. Melodieann Whiteley says

    7 August 2008 at 7:19 am

    I guess this means I can stop worrying about my blog addiction! Do you suppose it applies to things like my Squidoo pages as well? I have almost as many of those as I do blogs – and more of both on the way. Maybe I’ll live forever! If not, at least I should live stress-free!

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  4. Rosie says

    10 August 2008 at 3:11 pm

    I BElieve this report!! I find blogging to be an energizing, exciting and empowering experience. IS IT A CURE FOR MENOPAUSE?

    Log in to Reply

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