The science of…writing

As I sit down to write my last Stute article, it feels odd to try my hand at opinion. So for my final Stute piece, I will be doing what I have advised every science writer not to do: combine my opinions with science. Four years ago, I would have never considered myself a writer. Eight semesters later, I have written hundreds of pages, from the painful CAL 103 assignments to my final senior thesis, and all the Stute articles in between. And while every essay in high school came with some tears, I have learned to embrace the pleasures of writing in ways I could have never anticipated. In a few short days, I will be graduating with a degree in Science, Technology, and Society, which means lots of reading and science writing in so many words (definitely worth the Google search if you have no idea what I just paid Stevens tuition for). Choosing STS, Stevens, and eventually, The Stute, led me to find my voice in ways I could have never imagined. Now for the science. “Writing will make you happier.” Certain studies of undergraduate students, including Laura King's , suggest that writing for 20 minutes a day can improve the mood of these individuals. Participants were often found to have positive physical health effects including reduced inflammation and reduced chronic pain . I was able to test these theories myself last fall when I took Professor MacPhail's class “Failure 101”. In this class, we discussed the many ways in which people fail every day. By doing so, we also practiced new coping mechanisms each week to help us integrate stress relievers into our daily lives. Among these practices was gratitude journaling. While I could boldly claim how gratitude journaling “changed my life” and healed any fear of failure in me, that would be a lie. I did enjoy gratitude journaling and will be continuing this practice in the future because the mental and emotional benefits are quite clear. However, I have learned to enjoy writing for more than its coping mechanism benefits. Aside from The […]