The diary entries Madonna drafted while filming Evita recently appeared in anissue of Vanity Fair. Riveting as her memoirs may have been, if the former Material Girl had taken pen to paper during some of her more trying times--or even concocted some fictional tales of woe--it might have been better for her health.
At least that's what psychologist Melanie Greenberg, Ph.D., has concluded after asking one group of college kids to write detailed essays about a personal trauma--ranging from abuse to rape--and another set to write fictional accounts of the same kinds of ordeals. In the month that followed, Greenberg found, the students who had composed accounts of their personal tribulations made two-thirds fewer trips to the doctor than did a third group that had written impersonal factual essays. But surprisingly, those who authored stories about a fictional misfortune experienced similar health benefits. Writing about a fictional trauma, Greenberg suggests, may help us develop a sense of control over our emotions, and that in turn may contribute to good health.
