BOFFINS from Melbourne's Swinburne University of Technology reckon blogging makes people feel better.

Two studies on the psychological benefits of blogging were carried out by Swinburne Masters student, James Baker and Professor Susan Moore and are now being published in the journal Cyber Psychology and Behaviour.

The studies show that blogging can beat the blues in just two months, with bloggers feeling they have better social support and friendship networks than non bloggers. According to the studies, blogging helps people feel less alone and more a part of a community of like minded individuals. Bloggers feel more self confident and gain self-worth, whilst also feeling more comfortable about relying on others for help.

But it's not just blogging that makes people feel good, the study also shows that the feel good factor can equally be attributed to using social not-working sites like MySpace and Facebook. In fact, the study found that all participants, whether they blogged or not, reported feeling less anxious, depressed and stressed after two months of online social networking.

"Keeping a blog is a bit like writing a diary," reckons Professor Baker, adding, "It helps people vent their emotions, talk about their feelings and problems. The difference is that while a diary is private, blogging invites feedback from others." µ