Revealing your innermost feelings on the internet is good for you, psychologists said today.
A study of the phenomenon of blogs - or online diaries - found people writing them feel happier and more organised.
"Feeling that you have a forum for expressing yourself can make a huge difference to your psychological well-being," said psychologist Honey Langcaster-James, a Big Brother analyst.
"It can really help people organise their thoughts by talking about their day and give them a place to let off steam."
The study found that 85 per cent of people writing a blog did it to express their inner thoughts and feelings in a non-judgmental environment.
Nearly half of the 2,000 people surveyed online believed that a blog helped them get through life as it allowed them to relax and de-stress after a day at work.
"Big Brother housemates go into the legendary 'diary room' all the time just to let off steam, a vital coping strategy for them," said Langcaster-James.
"With the increasing pressures to juggle work and home life, it's natural for people to look for ways to escape and unwind."
"Keeping an online diary could prove to be highly rewarding and have psychological and emotional benefits. It also helps people feel wanted - those with blogs often keep a very close eye on the number of people visiting [it]."
Lastminuteliving.com, which commissioned the study, said: "Creating a blog can be a way to get more out of your life. Judging by the amount of users we have, people like sharing their photos, videos and personal thoughts with others."
Former Tory leader Michael Howard's wife Sandra wrote a blog during the last UK elections.
Blog history
- Start of the Internet: Tim Berners-Lee at CERN keeps a list of all new sites as they come online
- 1993: NCSA's oldest archived What's New list of sites
- 1997: Jorn Barger coins the term web log
- 1998: The first list of blog sites published on Camworld
- 1999: Peter Merholz coins the term blog; Brigitte Eaton starts the first portal devoted to blogs with about 50 listings; Pitas launches the first free build-your-own blog tool; and Pyra releases Blogger, the most popular web-based blogging tool to date.
Blogspeak
- Blogger: Person who writes a blog.
- Moblog: A blog maintained via a mobile phone.
- Vlog: A blog used to display video images. Also known as a vog.
- Bleg: Using a blog to beg for help.
- Blog mute: Someone who blogs only occasionally.
- Blogerati: The blogging world's intelligentsia.
- Blogstipation: Being unable to think of anything to blog about.
- Blurker: Someone who reads blogs but never leaves comments.
- Evening Standard
