Pen To Paper

Dr Max muses on how sending handwritten letters can help your health

- Dr Max Pemberton

I KNOW IT MIGHT sound a bit old-fashioned, but I'm a great believer in the power of letters. There's something unique and special about handwritten things. Yet the letter has rather fallen out of vogue, not helped of course by the recent Royal Mail strikes, and been superseded by faster forms of communication like emails or texts.

But that misses the point of the letter. It's not to convey urgent news. You write an email because there's something you need to know. But you write a letter because there's something you want to say.

There's also a subtler aspect to the letter. It's a powerful and memorable way to touch the ones you care about. People keep letters for years.