The Green Man attracts a wide range of readers, something to do with the wide range of topics that are convassed. A number of the readers maintain their own blogs, Phil from Signposts, Darren from Living Room, Bene from BeneDiction Blogs On to name three that spring to mind. Sickly bunch that they are. Well I don't actually know that but new research published in New Scientist suggests that people who maintain a diary and write about their experiences are less healthy than those who don't spend the time ruminating on the hand that fate has dealt them.

They are more likely to suffer from headaches, sleeplessness, digestive problems and social awkwardness than people who do not maintain a diary, on line or otherwise. (Not Phil, Darren and Bene but diarists generally). Elaine Duncan of the Glasgow Caledonian University, who conducted the research says

We decided to test the idea that writing is cathartic. . . We expected diary keepers to have some benefit, or be the same, but they were the worst off. In fact, you’re probably much better off if you don’t write anything at all.

This goes against the traditional wisdom of course but they suggest it might be that if you don't write about something, in many cases, you just move on with your life and the incident fades. Writing about it means that you have to process it at a more detailed level over a longer period and this means it has a bigger impact on your life.

She does point out that this is a corrollation and that cause and effect has not been established. It might just be that sickly people are more inclined to write than healthy ones.