Better Living Through Blogging

A new study finds that blogging–particularly the personal, day-in-the-life variety, can lead to a greater sense of belonging and connectedness with the rest of the world. Here’s a good summary of the study’s findings:

The researchers found support for deeper self-disclosure from bloggers resulting in a range of better social connections. These included things such as a sense of greater social integration, which is how connected we feel to society and our own community of friends and others; an increase in social bonding (our tightly knit, intimate relationships); and social bridging — increasing our connectedness with people who might be from outside of our typical social network.

I’m always gauging the level of intimacy I offer readers. When I first started doing this, I probably wrote things that would now strike me as too revelatory or narcissistic. But I do think that this blog has played an important role in my own happiness over the last several years. Like just about everyone else on this planet, I’m prone to moments of isolation and loneliness. The comments and e-mails that this blog elicits are a wonderful anodyne for those feelings.

I sometimes think how my life would have been different if I had never started this blog. The friendships that would have remained acquaintances. The blog has served as a kind of springboard or facilitator for many lasting connections. I try to remember that on those days when I’m staring at a blank screen, trying to think of something, anything, to say.