Improved mental health in only 2 minutes!

Psychological studies have demonstrated that expressive writing, or "writing therapy", can have positive effects on a number of mental and biological disorders. This kind of therapy offers curious insight into the relationship between mental and biological health.

While expressive writing is know to help to sort through emotions and improve optimism, it has also been found to increase immune function, accelerate recovery from illness and decrease the severity of asthma and arthritis symptoms.

But how much expressive writing is necessary to reap the benefits? Do I have to compose a memoir after a crap day to feel better? If that's the case, then I'd rather watch Office re-runs for the 432nd time with a pitcher of gin & tonics.

Fortunately, a new study suggests that you can achieve results in as little as 120 seconds a day! That's right... just TWO minutes!

The study, mentioned in the Boston Globe's Sunday column Uncommon Knowledge: Surprising insights from the social sciences, explored the lower boundary necessary to garner the health benefits of written emotional expression.

College students were given just two minutes on two consecutive days to write about a traumatic experience, a positive experience, or a prosaic topic. A month later, the students were asked to report symptoms of ill health. Students who had written about emotionally charged experiences -either positive or negative - reported fewer health complaints than the others.

Personally, I don't think these results are that surprising. Anyone who has done any journaling or similar activity knows that you don't have to re-cap the events of your ENTIRE day in order to feel better.

Sometimes I have sat down to write when I am particularly upset and I end up just scribbling a few sentences that would seem incoherent to the average reader. Then I get distracted and move on with my life. In college, when classmates would say obnoxious or strange things during a discussion, I learned to write them in my notes with a little "WTF?!" next to it so I could make fun of it later, and save my attention for the issues at hand.

So! Consider writing down your thoughts if you need to get something off your chest. Sure, its easier to talk about a stressful situation if you've got someone around to listen, but I think its also important to take a little time to be quiet and introspective. It might be good to practice in the event that there isn't anyone around to yell at.

*Disclaimer: It should also be noted that writing therapy does not benefit everyone, particularly sufferers of PTSD. You should seek medical attention if you suspect you are at risk!