Do you even think about the handwriting vs. typing question? It seems that life itself is going digital. That’s particularly true when it comes to the written word. Most of us rarely pick up a pen or pencil any longer when writing. We text. We type. We dictate to voice-recognition software. And we get it done, whatever it is. But by eliminating handwriting from the equation, we’re losing out.
For years I’ve counseled writing coach clients to grab a pen and a yellow pad and swap typing for handwriting when they’re stuck. Whether they create a mind map, a sloppy letter or actual text for a project, changing the writing mode always seems to help. Last year research proved that my gut was right. An Indiana University study showed that writing by hand as opposed to typing taps different parts of the brain. Now a University of Washington study about handwriting vs. typing confirms that “printing, cursive writing, and typing on a keyboard are all associated with distinct and separate brain patterns — and each results in a distinct end product,” according to a recent New York Times science article.
The argument in favor of handwriting at least some of the time is further strengthened by research showing a link between handwriting and the ability to think and remember what we’ve read. In that same New York Times article, Stanislas Dehaene, a psychologist at the Collège de France in Paris, is quoted as saying, “When we write, a unique neural circuit is automatically activated. There is a core recognition of the gesture in the written word, a sort of recognition by mental simulation in your brain. And it seems that this circuit is contributing in unique ways we didn’t realize.”
So don’t wait until you’re stuck. Grab that pad of paper and your favorite writing implement, plunk yourself down wherever you feel best and scribble away. As they say, your brain—or in this case even a part of your brain—is a terrible thing to waste.
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