I decided to write for The Borgen Project not only because I want to disseminate interesting developments from all over the world for everyone to read, but also because the act of writing itself also contains many heath benefits. Quite frankly, it is very pleasant.

Before we begin, I would like to disclaim any expertise in psychology on my part. However, there have been numerous studies on the benefits of writing. First of all, have you been noticing that you are learning new things and forgetting some of the old ones all the time? Writing helps you to remember and going back through your journal or diary can help you refresh your memory. My apologies if the following information may bore those who do not take great pleasure in reading about the human cerebral anatomy, but our brains have an involuntary information intake filter. This filter determines which sensory inputs (sights and sounds, for example) to register and if the brain is under a lot of stress, this filter will work in a very particularly selective manner. This is because your amygdala—that’s one of the pink gooey gummy things in your brain (scientifically speaking)—conducts information to the lower reactive part of the brain when you are under stress. To put it briefly—you are welcome—stress puts you into the fight or flight mode and when you are in that mode you do not remember information very well.

So, this is where reasons for writing comes into play. First, it reduces your stress (yes, it actually does, I swear). Writing about your traumatic or stressful experiences (expressive writing) helps you cope with these emotions. Just 15 minutes to 20 minutes of writing several times a week is sufficient. I mean, if you have time to look at photos of cats, I am sure you will have some time to spare for writing. It’s good and good for you.

Furthermore, in AIDS patients, expressive writing helps to improve memory and sleep and to reduce the viral load and helps with post-surgical recovery. A test conducted on cancer patients also revealed that writing makes the subjects feel better both physically and mentally. In fact, there is even a name for the medical use of writing to facilitate recovery. It is called journal therapy.

Writing not only helps you, it can also serve to help others. The United Nations estimated that around 774 million adults 15 years old or above are illiterate, and 493 million of them are women. Much of these figures come from developing countries or underdeveloped countries. Part of what writing with The Borgen Project does is give a voice to those who cannot express themselves to the international public. Writing about the issue of global poverty puts a human face on the sufferings of those whose lives might otherwise be grossly abbreviated as numbers after the sports news coverage. It also helps to raise public awareness of the fact that beyond our immediate surroundings, there people who are going through inconceivable ordeals.

However, when writing about poverty, I personally always keep in mind that I should write about the subjects respectfully and, as much as it is possible within my capacity, to preclude any vertical power relation. By perpetuating the idea that certain groups of people are dependent on the collective discursive “us” and that they owe this “us” their livelihood only serves to further stigmatize poverty, the poor, and the underdeveloped world.

Lastly, if you like posting pictures of your cakes and coffee on Facebook, love hoarding “likes” from your friends, take delight in posting on your Twitter or all of the above, you are already halfway there. Start a blog, write for social change, send your writing to your local gazette or simply keep a journal for yourself to read. It is good for your health, it is free (pen and paper not included), it’s fun, it doesn’t hurt anyone, it makes you happy and it has no sodium. Not a lot of things do all that these days.

– Peewara Sapsuwan

Sources: Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, Lifehacker, The New York Times, The UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Scientific American, The George Lucas Educational Foundation
Photo: Antonio Siber