#4 The Science Behind How Journaling Can Help You Feel Less Sad"
Guiding depressed people’s writing can help them feel better – here’s some science behind it.
TDLR: This research says, “Hey, how people write shows how depressed they are. So, if we gently guide how they write—especially about themselves—we might help them feel better.
Okay here’s the science stuff – and the breakdown of what it actually means is below.
The name of the research paper: Semantic signals in self-reference: The detection and prediction of depressive symptoms from the daily diary entries of a sample with major depressive disorder.
This study explored how people with major depressive disorder (MDD) use language when writing about themselves.
Over 90 days, 258 individuals with MDD completed diary entries and depression assessments.
Using natural language processing, researchers found that depressed individuals used fewer positive and more negative words—especially when referring to themselves (e.g., “I,” “me,” “my”).
These results suggest that people with depression show a specific negativity in how they describe themselves, not others.
What does this actually mean?
People with depression use fewer positive words and more negative words especially about themselves.
The more negative their self-talk, the more severe their depression often is.
How can we use this to help?
🧠 Guided journaling can gently shift these patterns
If depressed people naturally write about themselves in a negative way, then a guided journal that prompts them to reflect more positively or notice good things about themselves can interrupt this habit.
For example, prompts like the following help shift attention to positive self-perception - and over time what the brain writes the brain believes.
“What’s something small you did well today?”
“What would you say to a friend who felt how you do right now?
💡 The study supports using writing as a tool
Because writing style predicts depression severity, writing is more than just expression—it’s also a window into mood.
That means journaling isn’t just helpful emotionally—it can be scientifically useful.
Guided journaling then becomes both a support tool and a therapeutic technique.
Want to try out guided journalling?
The Anti-Depression Club Guided Journal is in the final rounds of edits at the moment - keep an eye out for it’s launch!
Now that’s the first of many an article I’ve found and archived and wrote about many times over the last year - analysis paralysis was overwhelming. There is a LOT of research out there that supports writing as a tool for helping depression so picking the “first” one was daunting. I ended up lucky dipping and picking a random - so if you like it, great! If not, there’s more research to come.
As always, I’m really proud of you for staying alive,
talk again soon,
love bren
xx
Reference:
Collins, A. C., Lekkas, D., Nemesure, M. D., Griffin, T. Z., Price, G. D., Pillai, A., Nepal, S., Heinz, M. V., Campbell, A. T., & Jacobson, N. C. (2025). Semantic signals in self‑reference: The detection and prediction of depressive symptoms from the daily diary entries of a sample with major depressive disorder. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0001003
