Lepore, 2004; Kelly & McKillop, 1996). Putting into words what has been kept
under wraps for sometimes years consistently leads to improvements in physical
health. Moreover, the benefits are found regardless of whether the disclosure is
hand-written or typed or even if the information is disclosed orally (Frattaroli,
2006; Harrist, Carlozzi, McGovern, & Harrist, 2007). Participants also need
not disclose about something as emotionally intense as a personal trauma. One
team of investigators asked freshmen to write about the problems and emotionsthey encountered leaving home and adjusting to college (Pennebaker, Colder, &
Sharp, 1990). Students who wrote about these thoughts and feelings for 3
consecutive nights made fewer visits to the health center over the next severalmonths than those who wrote about trivial topics.
The connection between self-disclosure and health is also found in
studies that look at how victims of specific traumas react to their experiences.One team of researchers contacted people who had lost a spouse either
through an accidental death or because of suicide (Pennebaker & O’ Heeron,
1984). The investigators asked how often the participants had discussed the
experience with friends and about the participants ’health since the death.
They found that the more people had talked about the tragedy, the fewer
health problems they had. Another study found that World War II Holocaust
survivors who spoke openly about their ordeal were in better health than
those who were less willing to disclose about the experience (Finkelstein &
Levy, 2006).
Visits to Health Center
Before
StudyAfter
Study.511.5
Traumatic Topics
ConditionTrivial Topics
Condition
FIGURE 12.2 Mean Number of Visits to the Health Center as a Function
of Experimental Condition
Source: From Pennebaker and Beall (1986).Self-Disclosure 315