Handwriting, a habit many people have dropped in favour of typing, genuinely strengthens the brain, according to neuroscientists cited by the Polish magazine Zwierciadlo.
The renewed interest in the practice comes as fewer people write by hand from day to day, with notes, messages and even signatures increasingly typed on smartphones, tablets and computers.
Ramesh Balasubramaniam, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Merced, said genuinely important processes take place during the physical experience of writing by hand.
According to Balasubramaniam, two separate processes are involved. The first is purely mental: handwriting is slower than speaking or typing, which forces the brain to process emerging thoughts more consciously. He said that slower pace allows information to be processed more deliberately, which supports both creativity and critical thinking.
How hand movements shape the brain
The second process is triggered by the movements of the hand itself, and researchers say it matters most. Based on a study of 36 students, scientists concluded that the act of forming letters by hand strengthens the connections between different regions of the brain.
Handwriting demands more physical effort than pressing a key. Writers have to hold a pen or pencil, control the pressure they apply and carry out precise movements, which makes writing a more complex task for the brain. The action draws on motor, visual and cognitive processes at the same time.
Sophia Vinci-Booher, an education neuroscientist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, said each finger has to carry out a separate action to produce a recognisable letter. She said that process is key to absorbing new information and forming memories, an effect not observed with typing.
Notes that help ideas sink in
Handwriting also helps people visualise concepts more clearly. Research from Tufts University, near Boston, Massachusetts, found that people who take handwritten notes often understand complex ideas better than those who type them.
The researchers said the sketches people make and the way they arrange information on a page trigger spatial thinking that helps them encode ideas. They said this often leads to better results on questions that require understanding of concepts, particularly when note-takers get the chance to review their notes later.
Because handwriting has a rhythmic quality, it can also induce a meditative state. A small study carried out in China in 2014 found that calligraphy could help lower stress levels and heart rate.
