When was the last time you wrote a letter? In fact, when was the last time you even held a pen? There was a time when letters, course notes and hand-to-do lists were written on a daily basis, but today it’s email, texting and voice recognition apps that have taken over. Maybe it’s time to get away from your keyboard and go find that pen and notebook! Numerous studies have shown that handwriting of letters and notes brings cognitive, creative and social benefits that simply cannot be ignored.
1. Handwriting stimulates brain function at all ages. Researchers have found that:
- People who write by hand or read experience a distinct rate of brain activity involving three regions of the brain. Children who learn to write letters display the same type of brain activity; this rhythm is not detected when they type or layer.
- Elementary school students write more words, faster, and express more ideas when they write by hand instead of typing on the computer.
- Students who do not develop adequate handwriting skills face difficulties when it comes to spelling words, grasping the meaning of texts or courses, and interpreting the context of words or phrases.
- Handwriting, especially cursive letters, improves the reading skills of children with dyslexia.
- Students in the first year of high school to university prefer to take handwritten notes when studying and report that they learn better when they take or read notes on paper.
- Writing letters and notes by hand allows adults to improve their ability to learn and remember information.
- Handwriting uses 11 skills, including memory recall, mental attention, visual focus, awareness-raising concentration, and eye-to-eye coordination; essential skills throughout our lives. Handwriting of letters and notes can help maintain these skills as one ages.
2. Handwriting is creative
Did you know that some of today’s most popular authors write all or part of their books by hand? Stephen King, J. K. Rowling and James Patterson, among many others, prefer to write their novels by hand for various reasons. But the real answer may be more scientific than sentimental.
Writing letters, notes, books, or anything on paper stimulates creativity. A joint study by Tufts University and Stanford University has determined that a fluid movement, such as that associated with handwriting, is linked to creative thinking.
Handwriting is also linked to improved ideation, punctuation, planning, spelling and grammar, all of which help stimulate creativity during writing. It influences reading, language use and critical thinking. And because it stimulates motor planning, coordination and physical movement, the benefits of handwriting can extend linguistic creativity into other fields, such as art, music and dance.
3. Writing and commitment
Another aspect of handwriting is the notion of commitment it conveys. Because this process is more expensive and slower, it is given much more value. Receiving a letter by email does not actually have the same personal touch as a handwritten letter. From a relational and emotional point of view, however, a handwritten letter conveys something other than a printed letter. It is willingly given greater value, especially when it comes to communicating emotions.
But writing by hand doesn’t just have symbolic value for others. Indeed, handwriting is more effective at writing about one’s emotions and learning how to manage them. A 1999 study shows that greater therapeutic benefits are realized from writing about a stressful life experience by hand rather than keyboard. We also tend to go further in the analysis of the event and our feelings. This is why the pen will always be preferred in any personal development work.
The advantage of handwriting is also valid in more creative exercises. If one seeks to imagine a situation or to project into the future through writing, the paper-pencil modality leaves more time to find the right words. When we type, our vocabulary tends to be more limited.
Take the time to write on paper
It is obvious that handwritten letters and notes can refine your mind, broaden your creativity and bring you closer to old and new friends. So the next time you’re about to send an email or text message, consider sitting down to write a letter. Your brain and loved ones will thank you for it. But there are certain situations nowadays when you might feel that writing might not be the correct method for jotting down valuable information especially in situations where time is of essence.
Combining handwriting and digital
So, should we all throw our keyboards into the trash? The answer to this question is, of course, no. In many situations, the computer is a valuable tool. When you’re looking to take exhaustive notes, to work on a formatted document, digital is unavoidable. Similarly if you are taking online tutoring classes, digital notes help a tutor structure their lessons in a better way.
Let’s be clear: to make transcripts, typing is no different. However, when it comes to retaining things and processing information, handwriting remains unbeatable. This modality allows us to better understand new ideas, to better memorize them, and thus to be more effective. Another benefit is that handwriting avoids distractions associated with the use of electronic tools.
As long as there is no easy electronic paper to handle, handwriting will continue to have many advantages. As always, it is a question of using the most effective tool to achieve the goals that one sets for itself, and therefore digital is not to be stopped, but to be used appropriately.
