Many people who used poetry as a way to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic experienced a positive impact on their well-being, a survey has found.
- The study is based on a survey carried out among 400 users of the poetryandcovid.com site, who shared their own poetry online and/or read that of other people.
- “Writing and reading poetry, as well as engaging on the site, had a significant positive impact on participants’ well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to one of the researchers.
- According to another, “It’s likely that sharing poetry on a site associated with a community matters a lot, because it’s a way of bringing people together, the ice having already been broken.”
The phrase “words for evils” takes on a little more meaning, with a new study showing that reading, writing and sharing poetry can help people cope with loneliness and isolation , and even to keep depression away. This is suggested by researchers from the University of Plymouth and Trent University in Nottingham, UK.
Poetry helped people feel less anxious during the Covid pandemic
The study, published in the Jjournal of Poetry Therapyis based on a survey carried out among 400 users of the site poetryandcovid.com, who shared their own poetry and/or read that of others online. The platform had more than 1,000 poems and more than 600 authors. Just over half of respondents (51%) indicated that reading and/or writing had helped them overcome feelings of loneliness or isolation, and a further 50% said it had enabled them to cope better their anxiety, even their depression.
In detail, it helped them feel “less anxious” (34%) and allowed them to “better manage their problems” (24%), particularly those “related to bereavement” (17%). Poetry also helped 16% of respondents better understand the symptoms related to their mental health problems.
Creative writing can have a positive impact on health
“These results demonstrate the substantial power of poetry,” said lead researcher Anthony Caleshu, professor of poetry and creative writing at the University of Plymouth, in a communicated. “Writing and reading poetry, as well as engaging on the site, had a huge positive impact on participants’ wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The authors of the study give some examples of participants’ responses: “Poetry has been a lifeline throughout the pandemic, both reading it and writing it”; “I hope my poem resonates with people who have lost loved ones, and also gives hope to those who are isolated.”
According to Dr. Rory Waterman, who participated in the research, “It’s likely that sharing poetry on a site associated with a community matters a lot, because it’s a way of bringing people together, the ice having already been broken.” It is also possible that “Creative writing – trying to find the right words depending on the experience or circumstance, then sharing them with others – can have a positive impact on people’s health in the same way. The arts generally, including the visual and performing arts, have this potential.”
