The Effect of Expressive Writing on Social Anxiety

Indianapolis, IN

College students face the task of developing social networks that may provide the basis for potential lifelong friendships. However, social anxiety can interfere with this process. Expressive writing, meanwhile, has consistently been shown to improve various aspects of psychological functioning, including anxiety (Frattaroli, 2006; Smyth 1998). Blogging has grown in popularity among college-aged individuals and has been shown to strengthen feelings of social support (Baker & Moore, 2008). The current study investigated whether expressive writing, specifically journaling and blogging, would decrease social anxiety in college students. It was hypothesized that 1) expressive writing would decrease social anxiety, and 2) blogging would decrease social anxiety more than journaling. Students sampled from a small, liberal arts university were administered a survey containing the Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS; Leary, 1983) to measure social anxiety. The students were randomly assigned to a journaling, blogging, or control group. The writing groups were instructed to write 15 minutes a day for three days. Blogging group responses were posted on a blog and made available to blogging participants. On the fourth day a post-test containing the IAS was readministered. Data will be analyzed and results will be discussed.