The effect of writing about the perceived benefits of interpersonal transgressions on psychological well-being in Japanese college students

This study examined the effect of writing about the perceived benefits (WPB) of an interpersonal transgression on subjective well-being and feelings of hostility. Participants (N = 74) who reported experiencing a highly stressful interpersonal trouble within the past year were randomly assigned to one of four conditions that consisted of 20-minute writing tasks conducted over a three-day period in which they wrote about either (a) the perceived benefits resulting from the trouble, (b) the features of the trouble, (c) the features in the first 10 minutes and the perceived benefits of the trouble in the last 10 minutes, or (d) a control topic that was unrelated to the trouble. Results of analysis of covariance revealed that group A had significantly decreased hostility. Furthermore groups A and B showed a significant increase in subjective well-being compared to the control condition. Issues related to WPB are discussed.