5 Good Reasons to Write

1. To understand thyself

"How can I tell what I think till I see what I say?"

―The Art of Thought (1926) by Graham Wallas

"I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I say."

― Flannery O'Connor

Like Daniel Boorstin, Joan Didion, and Norman Mailer, many of us write to find out what we're thinking and why. Writing is an excellent way to evaluate your beliefs and your reasons for holding them. By forcing ourselves to flesh out our rationales for certain ways of thinking, we are able to reevaluate and update our systems as needed.

2. Because it's good therapy

Writing can help achieve emotional catharsis and boost self-esteem. You might consider it self-medication without the unsafe side effects. It's like that lyric from the Anna Nalick song:

"2 A.M., and I'm still awake, writing a song

If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer

Inside of me, threatening the life it belongs to"

Apart from acting as a stress-coping mechanism, writing can also improve sleep and memory, boost immune cell activity, and accelerate wound healing after surgery.

A study in the February 2008 issue of The Oncologist reported that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing prior to treatment felt mentally and physically better than patients who did not.

Research conducted by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer and published in Harvard Business Review found that journaling about progress at work helped employees to feel happier, be intrinsically motivated, and perceive obstacles as a challenge rather than a threat.

3. For better comprehension and retention

Writing can help us to better understand and remember the material we learn. Writing by hand, and cursive in particular, but not typing, activates the same neural circuits as reading. Using laptops for note-taking may even impair learning.

A 2021 study published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience found that writing on physical paper enhances memory recall as a result of the unique spatial and tactile information associated with the task.

In a series of tests, volunteers who used pen and paper outperformed those who used tablets and styluses or smartphones and touch-screen keyboards. Volunteers who used paper also displayed more brain activity in areas associated with language, imaginary visualization, memory and navigation.

4. To synthesize and share new ideas

A quote by Arthur Raymond Marshall explains the underlying rationale:

"If you don't synthesize knowledge, scientific journals become spare-parts catalogues for machines that are never built."

Sharing our ideas opens the door to more opportunities to expand our communities and collaborate with others. Something you write may resonate with someone who then reaches out to you, prompting the beginning of other creative endeavors. Writing on public platforms can expand your audience base and help disseminate your ideas more widely.

5. To keep a record or share your story

"What we share most of all is our vulnerability to cruelty and chance, unexpected ruin or sudden defeat. It recognizes the unchosen limits and circumstances that mark our lives, which no amount of bootstrapping can overcome."

- Matthew Sitman, "Muddling Through"

Writing about our struggles and vulnerable moments provides a sense of camaraderie to others who have endured similar experiences. So much of our suffering is more universal than we realize.

Our stories may benefit someone else in some way - tell someone they're not alone, save another person some trouble, offer some insight. That way, our suffering isn't in vain but transformed into something useful.

Telling our stories humanizes our experiences and makes us more relatable. Leveraging the power of narrative through effective storytelling can also help us to more effectively communicate the importance of research endeavors.

Regardless of your reasons, consistent writing habits will help you reap multiple benefits in the long run. Stay hungry, stay foolish, keep writing.