The Science of Journaling: How 15 Minutes of Writing Can Free Up Your Brain, Improve Your Health, and Make You a Better Friend | Dr. James Pennebaker
10% Happier with Dan Harris

The Science of Journaling: How 15 Minutes of Writing Can Free Up Your Brain, Improve Your Health, and Make You a Better Friend | Dr. James Pennebaker

B2Upper-intermediateAugust 14, 20261 hr 8 min

Writing can reduce overthinking, rumination, and anxiety. Here's what the researcher who pioneered the science suggests. James Pennebaker is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. He is known for his early research on expressive writing and health. More recently, he has pioneered ways to study people's personalities and behaviors through the analysis of their language use. His text analysis program LIWC is used across disciplines. Author of over 300 scientific articles and 8 books, his research has affected our understanding and treatment of mental and physical health of people dealing with upheavals in their lives.<...

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0:00

This is the 10% Happier Podcast. I'm your host, Dan Harris. I will admit from the outset here that I've long had a bad attitude about journaling, which is weird because I've spent more than 30 years working as a

0:15

journalist. I dismiss journaling as some sort of new age-y thing though, but then I started to see a bunch of science that really changed my mind on this. This is, by the way, a pattern for me. I reflexively judge something only to have my mind changed by the evidence.

0:30

In the case of journaling, the evidence is quite abundant. According to research, journaling can be an effective way to reduce stress and anxiety. Too big is for me. And that's not all.

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