The Effect of Short-Term Positive Journaling on Perceived Stress and Salivary Cortisol Levels (2024)

Undergraduates: Sean Ahaotu-Simelane, Avishi Singh, Gabriel Z. Gong, Camden D. Stafford

Faculty Advisor: Monica Gaudier-Diaz
Department: Psychology and Neuroscience

---

Stress can have many negative consequences on the human body and mind. Chronic stress has been seen to have detrimental effects on individuals' cognition and health. Cortisol, the associated hormone of stress, follows a cyclic pattern associated with the sleep cycle, as well as rises and lowers in association with stress levels. Past research has shown how implementing optimism and journaling in individuals’ lives can have positive effects on stress and coping strategies. Much of the previous work on journaling has involved expressive writing or positive journaling for a longitudinal period of time. We collected salivary samples and levels of individual perceived stress to test if consistent short-term positive journaling could have a significant positive effect on stress levels and salivary cortisol levels. Our research showed that consistent journaling significantly decreased perceived stress in males and females, while consistent and inconsistent journaling significantly decreased salivary cortisol levels in females as well. Short-term consistent positive journaling resulted in lowered perceived stress and cortisol levels in women and may be a rapid method for stress management in men and women.