Optimistic expressive writing interventions and well being & wellbeing

Over the previous twenty years there was growing curiosity in, and analysis undertaken on, the potential advantages of expressive writing interventions for well being and wellbeing. Expressive writing interventions are low-intensity psychological interventions which may largely be self-administered by people participating.

Optimistic expressive writing was an adaptation to analysis on written emotional disclosure, which discovered that writing emotionally, not simply factually, a few personally tough expertise was related to optimistic well being and psychological results (Frattaroli, 2006). The frequent think about optimistic expressive writing interventions is that as a substitute of inviting contributors to jot down about how they may scale back adverse emotions, or to replicate on issues, the main focus is on cultivating optimistic emotions or ideas, in frequent with different optimistic psychology interventions (PPIs). The intention behind these ‘optimistic’ expressive writing interventions is to not altogether change written emotional disclosure as an strategy in therapeutic writing, however to minimise the potential of contributors feeling short-term adverse feelings [which can come after negative disclosure] and the related danger of feeling burdened, however with out assist.

A scientific overview on the connection, if any, between writing interventions thought to be “optimistic expressive writing interventions” and subjective well being and wellbeing, has been printed by researchers at Northumbria College (Hoult et al, 2025). There are numerous writing strategies understood as doubtlessly therapeutic in nature, together with writing that encourages emotional disclosure, which includes writing a few hectic or traumatic expertise. This research focuses as a substitute on strategies that align with optimistic psychology interventions (PPIs) that centre writing to advertise “optimistic feelings, strengths and virtues”, so for instance writing about issues for which people are grateful, or writing that helps people to establish and identify positives even the place hectic experiences have occurred.

The systematic overview centred on two questions:

‘What are the optimum circumstances beneath which optimistic expressive writing advantages self-reported bodily and psychological well being and wellbeing?’
‘Which optimistic expressive writing strategies work finest, on what well being and wellbeing outcomes, and for whom?’

Writing emotionally, not just factually, about difficult experiences is associated with positive health and wellbeing effects. But which techniques work best, on what health and wellbeing outcomes and for whom?

Writing emotionally, not simply factually, about tough experiences is related to optimistic well being and wellbeing results. However which strategies work finest, on what well being and wellbeing outcomes and for whom?

Strategies

This systematic overview, printed in Might 2025, was carried out by accessing 4 databases (Net of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and ProQuest: APA PsychArticles). The inhabitants of curiosity was non-clinical adults and the outcomes of curiosity had been subjective wellbeing (e.g., life satisfaction, optimistic have an effect on, adverse have an effect on; Diener, 1984), psychological wellbeing (e.g., private progress, function in life; Ryff, 1989), self-reported psychological well being (e.g., anxiousness, melancholy, stress) and bodily well being. The overview didn’t discover ‘goal’ well being and wellbeing outcomes and behaviours. Comparator teams included contributors being instructed solely to jot down neutrally about routine or non-emotive matters, similar to time administration and different points of every day life.

Peer-reviewed articles printed within the English language between 1930 and August 2023 had been included within the overview. Every article was high quality assessed utilizing the Nationwide Institutes of Well being (NIH) High quality Evaluation of Managed Intervention Research which contains fourteen standards, together with adequacy of randomisation, and evaluation of all randomised contributors (i.e., intention-to-treat). Research with deadly flaws (e.g., a excessive total and/or differential dropout charges ) had been thought of vital danger for bias and had been rated as poor.

Outcomes

51 research had been included within the ultimate overview and 31 of those had been rated as poor in high quality.

Seven optimistic expressive writing strategies had been recognized together with expressive writing on very best self, optimistic experiences, gratitude, profit discovering, satisfaction processes, writing about three good issues and retaining a useful resource diary. Nearly all of research had been carried out utilizing the traditional mode first launched for written emotional disclosure interventions; three to 4 bursts of writing, every lasting 15-20 minutes and happening on consecutive days.

The three mostly researched interventions had been the interventions of taking a look at one’s ‘very best self’, writing about ‘optimistic experiences’ and gratitude workouts.

Eighteen research explored the ‘very best self’ writing method. Regardless of variations in how they utilized the train (e.g. altering the domains of self that had been checked out within the writing), they sometimes resulted in improved psychological and wellbeing outcomes, together with enhanced optimism, happiness and self-efficacy, in addition to reductions in ruminative considering, psychological misery and self-criticism. The researchers state that the findings on optimistic have an effect on, adverse have an effect on, melancholy and life satisfaction had been “combined, although most research discovered vital advantages throughout the measures.” Apparently, the place bodily well being outcomes had been thought of (in a single research solely), there have been reductions in well being centre visits at a 5 month follow-up (King, 2001).

Sixteen research explored ‘writing about optimistic experiences’. These interventions required contributors to jot down about intensely optimistic experiences on consecutive days or in clustered bursts of exercise. Of curiosity is that these research assessed extra bodily well being outcomes relative to the opposite writing interventions, however the outcomes right here had been combined. Self-reported bodily signs had been discovered to lower in two research, however didn’t enhance in one other three. Nevertheless, all sixteen research exploring this type of intervention, discovered that optimistic expertise writing led to enhancements in optimism, stress appraisal, and optimistic have an effect on.

Eleven research assessed gratitude as an expressive writing intervention, the place contributors had been instructed to jot down about points of life for which they had been grateful, or a letter expressing gratitude to an individual or individuals of selection. As with the ‘very best self’ strategies, advantages of gratitude interventions had been noticed for subjective wellbeing outcomes similar to happiness and life satisfaction. It’s additionally clear with ‘gratitude’ workouts that the outcomes are combined and probably muted for outcomes of self-reported psychological well being, similar to melancholy and anxiousness.

There was one different expressive writing method with ample research beneath overview to benefit examination; profit discovering strategies. ‘Profit discovering’ encourages contributors to jot down about the advantages or positives following a hectic or upsetting expertise. From the 5 research included within the overview, little concrete info might be added.

Writing about the ‘best possible self’ and gratitude-related writing exercises showed the strongest improvements in wellbeing outcomes such as happiness.

Writing concerning the ‘very best self’ and gratitude-related writing workouts confirmed the strongest enhancements in wellbeing outcomes similar to happiness.

Conclusions

The ‘very best self’ and ‘gratitude’ interventions appear, on the premise of high quality research accessible to overview, to comprise probably the most promise.

That is largely caveated by the extremely heterogeneous high quality of the general variety of evaluations and analyses carried out hitherto, underscoring the necessity for extra rigour and consistency of strategy in future such research on optimistic expressive writing interventions. It’s onerous to be exact and distinguish whether or not, for ‘very best self’ and ‘gratitude’, what we’re seeing is a genuinely simpler strategy in how they deal with this concept of optimistic expressive writing, or whether or not on this systematic overview, we’re merely seeing a bigger variety of psychological wellbeing outcomes assessed in contrast with different interventions, (e.g. profit discovering) which had been examined with an even bigger, and trickier, highlight on whether or not they led as a substitute to modifications in well being.

Positive expressive writing interventions tended to have a greater effect on wellbeing outcomes than health outcomes in this review.

Optimistic expressive writing interventions tended to have a better impact on wellbeing outcomes than well being outcomes on this overview.

Strengths and limitations

As a tutor of expressive writing, working with adults with mind tumours, adults with continual kidney illness (CKD), in addition to populations that could be deemed as ‘non-clinical’, (e.g. caregivers), the largest limitation of the overview is the absence of study or dialogue as to why non-clinical populations would possibly uniquely profit from optimistic writing interventions.

There are lots of legitimate explanation why research would solely take into account the worth of optimistic expressive writing, and outcomes achieved, in non-clinical populations. For instance, there’s a rising physique of proof that means pupil populations, the main focus of most of the research on this systematic overview, would possibly certainly profit from optimistic writing interventions, however this isn’t positioned into a very analytical context.

Neither does the overview share any view, or comprise any dialogue on the long-run results of the Covid 19 pandemic, and why populations not thought of to be medical, so for instance well being and care professionals, would possibly nonetheless profit from optimistic expressive writing interventions, even when, for the needs of this overview, they’re ‘non-clinical’.

In actuality it’s onerous to separate out medical and non-clinical populations, and plenty of college students and caregivers, or care professionals, could have undiagnosed well being and care wants, together with anxiousness and melancholy. While it’s vital we examine and study the worth of writing interventions throughout completely different populations, and the way interventions play out in numerous methods throughout these populations, the analysis doesn’t sufficiently enable for the likelihood that these populations have gotten ever extra blended. It wasn’t solely clear, for instance, how nonclinical populations had been screened for and recruited within the completely different research, and given the extent to which adults aged 18 and over both don’t have a analysis for a well being drawback, aren’t subsequently present process remedy, or don’t but recognise or know they’ve an issue, it wasn’t solely apparent why the research chosen had been confined in the best way they had been: to so-called nonclinical populations. This serves to obscure and underplay why sure sectors and establishments would do effectively to prioritise optimistic writing interventions – for instance hospitals and care groups who would possibly roll out or pilot the intervention with their beneath stress and sometimes fatigued workforce.

Can we really separate out clinical and non-clinical populations?

Can we actually separate out medical and non-clinical populations?

Implications for follow

This overview highlights that particular person variations regarding emotional, social and wellbeing components (e.g. emotional processing and coping), might “reasonable intervention effectiveness”. That is probably underplayed, and clearly warrants extra evaluation. The researchers spotlight fifteen moderating results on intervention effectiveness in whole, however not one research throughout the systematic overview checked out greater than a single moderator.

As regards to how interventions ought to be delivered, not simply what the interventions are, there was once more vital ‘heterogeneity’ in intervention supply which the researchers conclude, “makes it difficult to attract inferences concerning…management group, the writing period and spacing of periods, and size of follow-up.” This can be a worthwhile overview, and well timed too as entry to inventive well being continues to be mentioned as a social determinant in stopping or managing sick well being (Fancourt, 2019). Rightly, although, the researchers conclude rather more analysis is required in future. Future research of optimistic expressive writing interventions might want to have added rigour in figuring out and defining which well being outcomes and variables they’re concentrating on.

This review is timely given the mounting evidence that creative interventions can prevent or manage ill health.

This overview is well timed given the mounting proof that inventive interventions can stop or handle sick well being.

Assertion of pursuits

Andrew Kaye Kauffman has no pursuits to declare.

You’ll be able to learn a few of his essays and a brand new blog-post for London Lit Lab right here, which underlines among the proof on writing and its relationship with our wellbeing.