Is it better to talk or write in a journal?

Where the research started

In 1986, James Pennebaker and Sandra Beall had people write for 15 minutes on four days in a row. Some wrote about a trauma, others about a superficial topic. Pennebaker later summarized that those who wrote about their deepest thoughts and feelings made fewer doctor visits in the months after. That study started a field. By 2009, Pennebaker counted over 200 published studies of this kind of expressive writing.

Studies where people talked instead

A few studies swapped the pen for a tape recorder. Reviewing the field, Pennebaker and Cindy Chung wrote that most studies comparing the two found comparable effects on mood, thinking and the body. They found talking and writing about emotional experiences both did better than writing about superficial topics.

• Esterling and colleagues (1994): 57 students wrote or talked about stressful events, or wrote about trivial ones, in three weekly 20 minute sessions. Judging by what people said, the talking group showed the most change in how they thought about the events and how they coped.
• Lyubomirsky and colleagues (2006): students wrote, talked into a tape recorder or just thought about their worst experience for 15 minutes on three days. Four weeks later, those who wrote or talked reported more improvement in life satisfaction and health than those who only thought about it.
• The same paper found the opposite for happy memories. For life satisfaction, thinking about the happiest experience did better than writing or talking about it. Analyzing a happy day in writing also lowered well-being compared with simply replaying it.

How big the effects are

Smaller than headlines suggest. A 2006 meta-analysis by Frattaroli pooled 146 randomized studies and found a positive but small average effect, a correlation of about 0.08. Pennebaker and Chung also describe reviews that disagree, including one that found effects on health care visits only in healthy groups. The fair reading is that putting experiences into words helps some people a little, in some circumstances, whether they write or talk.

Talking and writing compared

The research doesn't crown a winner, so the practical differences decide it for most people.

How to try it either way

The studies used a simple routine that works spoken or written. These steps follow the standard instructions Pennebaker and Chung describe.

1. Set aside 15 to 30 minutes on a few days in a row
2. Pick something that matters to you, big or small
3. Say or write your deepest thoughts and feelings about it, not just what happened
4. Don't worry about grammar, spelling or saying it well
5. Keep going until the time is up
6. For a happy day, replay it rather than pick it apart

If it stirs things up

Pennebaker and Chung note that many people in these studies cried or felt deeply upset while writing, even though most later called it valuable. Feeling stirred up is normal, so go gently and stop if it gets to be too much. If you're thinking about harming yourself or you're in danger, contact local emergency services or a crisis line now. In the US, call or text 988.

Talking it out with Dawn Light

If talking suits you, Dawn Light writes down every word on your iPhone as you speak, so you get a transcript to skim later. The transcript stays exactly as you said it. With Plus, each entry is also laid out as what happened, how it felt and what's next.