<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p><em>---</em></p> <p>Evidence from the guy who pioneered the science.</p> <p><br /></p> <p><a href="https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/psychology/faculty/pennebak" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Pennebaker</a> 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.</p> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>In this episode we talk about:</strong></p> <ul> <li>The specific form of journaling, called expressive writing or therapeutic journaling, that he invented and studied. </li> <li>Other kinds of journaling such as to-do lists and gratitude lists. </li> <li>Why writing things down helps shift our perspective on our stress or trauma. </li> <li>How that can lead to a cascade of benefits, from improved sleep to improved working memory</li> <li>And why Pennebaker, who's a very laid-back dude, is so laid-back about how often we need to journal in order to derive its benefits</li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><em>Dump It Here</em> journal is available now. <a href="https://shop.danharris.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://shop.danharris.com/ </a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Sign up for Dan's weekly newsletter</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3QtGRqJ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Follow Dan on social:</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3tGigG5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Instagram</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FOA84J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>TikTok</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Ten Percent Happier online</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/46TZglY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>bookstore</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Subscribe to our</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FybRzD" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>YouTube Channel</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Our favorite playlists on:</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3Qa8kMT" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Anxiety</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3MjtMxF" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Sleep</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QvyA5J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Relationships</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QxZASc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Most Popular Episodes</strong></a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Full Shownotes:</strong> <a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/pennebaker-860" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/pennebaker-860</a></p> <p><br /></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Practice Expressive Writing
Engage in expressive writing to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve immune response, sleep, memory, focus, time management, and decision-making by processing upsetting experiences.
2. Write for Self-Understanding
Use expressive writing as a quest for self-knowledge and understanding, aiming to gain new perspectives on your situation and how to move forward, rather than just purging emotions.
3. Address Secret Traumas
Write about secret traumas or deeply upsetting experiences you haven’t discussed to reduce their negative psychological and physiological health impacts.
4. Organize Upsetting Experiences
Put upsetting experiences into words to impose structure, organize them in your mind, and create a narrative that helps quiet rumination and allows you to move on.
5. Journal When Overthinking
Write when you find yourself excessively worrying, ruminating, tossing and turning at night, or over-talking an issue with others, as this indicates you may benefit from writing.
6. Experiment with Writing Methods
Be your own scientist and experiment with different journaling methods, frequencies, and durations to discover what works best for your personal well-being.
7. Follow Expressive Writing Protocol
Dedicate 15-20 minutes a day for 3-4 days to write about issues weighing on you in a secure, undisturbed place, either by hand or computer, exploring your deepest thoughts and feelings.
8. Connect Past and Present
In your expressive writing, connect current issues to similar past events, such as childhood, family relationships, social life, loves, or career, to gain deeper insights.
9. Write for Your Eyes Only
Begin writing with the intention of destroying it when finished, ensuring it is for you and you alone, and store it securely to foster true honesty and prevent harm to others.
10. Stop Writing If Distressed
If writing causes extreme distress or doesn’t feel beneficial, stop immediately, as it may not be the right time or method for you.
11. Explore Physical Feelings
Write about physical feelings, whether distressed or related to an illness, to uncover hidden experiences and thoughts locked in the body that may be shaping your mindset.
12. Discuss Writing with Therapist
Share your writing with a trusted therapist or friend in a safe space to receive external feedback, validate experiences, or reshape narratives that may no longer serve you.
13. Reframe Negative Memories
Actively reframe negative memories to uncover suppressed positive experiences from the same period, gaining a more balanced and empowering view of your past.
14. Improve Social Engagement
Engage in expressive writing to improve your social interactions, communication, and emotional expression, as it can lead to talking more, laughing more, and being a better friend.
15. Boost Working Memory
Use expressive writing to free up cognitive bandwidth and improve working memory by processing worries and reducing rumination, allowing your brain to function more efficiently.
16. Avoid Writing When Deeply Depressed
If you are deeply clinically depressed or have just experienced a massive trauma, expressive writing may not be the recommended first method; consider waiting until rumination persists months later.
17. Use Prompts to Guide Writing
Utilize prompts such as ‘How might this be related to your family?’ or ‘How is this affecting your health?’ to guide your expressive writing and explore specific connections.
18. Try Gratitude Lists
Experiment with gratitude lists and continue the practice if you find it makes a positive difference in your well-being.
19. Utilize To-Do Lists
Make and remake to-do lists to set priorities, aid decision-making, and improve working memory by externalizing tasks and reducing mental clutter.
20. Take Notes in Conversations
Take notes during conversations, especially about points you want to make, to avoid forgetting them and prevent interrupting others.
21. Focus on Cognitive Words
In your writing, consciously aim to use more positive emotion words and cognitive/causal words (e.g., ‘because,’ ‘understand,’ ‘realize’) to enhance insight and benefits.
22. Monitor ‘I’ Word Usage
Pay attention to changes in your use of ‘I’ words (I, me, my); a sustained increase can be a subtle indicator of a shifting psychological state, potentially towards depression.