Journaling, part 3

Pennebaker's journaling studies asked participants to write about an emotionally upsetting event. The participants wrote about the event for 15-20 minutes over the course of four days.
The participants that wrote essays which became more coherent over the course of the four days, were physically and emotionally healthier 4-6 months later.
Here are some examples of the characteristics of their essays:
1. Essays had a beginning, middle, and end.
2. Essays included details about both the event and the feelings they had during the event.
3. Participants wrote about both pleasant feelings and a moderate number of unpleasant feelings.
4. Participants used insight words in their essays, like "because" and "realize."