Automated computer-based feedback in expressive writing

Previous studies indicate that changing pronoun use can moderate the health benefits of expressive writing. Participants who change their pronoun use from essay to essay benefit more from the exercise. The current experiment attempted to improve the expressive writing paradigm by altering subjects’ focus (specifically self- and other-related focus) through text-based instructions. The automated language-based system was simple to implement, and it successfully changed participants’ pronoun use, but the intervention had no mood-related or subjective benefits. While the automated intervention system has promise in guiding people’s natural writing, future research must address the broader question of the inherent links between language use and substantive psychological change.

► Writing about emotional upheavals can improve physical and psychological health.
► Owen et al. tried to improve this by changing subjects’ use of emotional words with 108 video messages.
► Pronoun words, which this study altered, have a bigger impact on writing outcomes.
► The manipulation was purely text-based, making it sensitive to change over time.
► The manipulation worked, but overall outcomes remained the same. Future directions are discussed.