Jerusalem Post
ByWALLA! HEALTH
A new study explains how writing, even a grocery list or a WhatsApp message, helps regulate emotions, improve functioning, and cope better with life’s challenges.
Writing is a daily and simple action, but a new study reveals that it changes the brain in a deep way. Whether you are composing an angry text message or writing a personal journal – the very act of writing makes it possible to name emotions, take distance from them, and turn emotional overflow into clarity. A small change that signals: Resilience.
In recent decades, “mental resilience” has become a recurring concept in the media, psychology, and the wellness industry – certainly in Israel in the past two years. Everyone presents resilience as a personal ability that can be developed, but now it turns out that writing plays a significant role in managing emotions and coping with crises.
Dr. Emily Roney Johnston of the University of California, who researches how people use writing to process trauma, says that thousands of students have found in writing a way to build resilience and strengthen a sense of belonging. Neuroscience explains why it works.
How writing changes the brain
Writing activates complex systems in the brain simultaneously: Memory, decision-making, language, and movement. This action supports the stabilization of memories, which allows a person to process experiences and see them from a new perspective. In other words: Writing is a way to allow the brain to be more present, less overwhelmed.
Imaging studies show that when we put emotions into words – even with single words, exclamation marks, or emojis (!) – something physiological happens:
The activity in the amygdala (the fear center) calms down
The prefrontal cortex (the thinking and judgment area) becomes more active
Meaning: When you write, you shift from “survival” to “logic.”
The reaction shifts from an outburst – to a measured action.
Even simple actions like writing a to-do list activate areas of the brain responsible for organization and planning, bringing back a sense of control.
Writing is not just communication, it is thought. Studies show that writing shapes identity, strengthens the sense of control, regulates emotional state, and contributes to self-understanding.
5 practical tools for building mental resilience through writing
Based on brain and psychology research, experts suggest:
1. Write by hand – not only on a keyboard
Handwriting requires more attention and coordination, slows down thought, and allows deeper processing.
2. Write every day
Even a few lines: What did I feel? What happened? What am I planning?
Daily writing reduces intrusive thinking.
3. Write before you respond
Feeling a strong emotion? First open a notebook.
Writing creates a momentary distance that leads to a more conscious response.
4. Write a letter you will not send
To someone who hurt you, to a situation, or even to yourself.
Releasing emotions without fear of a reaction – is liberating.
5. Treat writing as a process
Writing → external observation → receiving feedback → improvement
This is a model that strengthens self-awareness and confidence.
