Keyboard vs. brain: why we should go back to writing by hand

Computers, tablets and smartphones They replaced the old notebooks and notepads and keyboards became the new pencils for adults and children. However, various studies have shown that keep handwriting practice It has benefits for the brain, learning and even memory.

The hand writing It is an important practice that brings great benefit for the prevention of diseases that affect the brain and cognitive and imagination development. Digital may be efficient, but lor analogue helps our brain protect itself from aging.

Writing has existed for thousands of years and, since then, it was a fundamental tool for recording history. This, furthermore, stimulates different areas of the brainstrengthens creativity and develops understanding.

However, the many benefits of the act of writing can vary depending on the way it is performed. It does not have the same results if you do it with a pen and paper as if you do it with a keyboard and a screen, where there is no need to draw the strokes. With manual writing your mind and body receive a much more beneficial positive impact.

Miscellaneous neuroscientific studies who warn that writing only in electronics devices It can affect the neuronal development of children and adults. On the contrary, handwrite makes them give more neural connections between the area of ​​the hands, elbows and shoulders; all of these essential for the future of good writing.

The 7 benefits of writing by hand

Stimulates memory

Handwriting allows you to remember more easily and quickly what you put on paper. This is what a study of the University of Tokyopublished in the academic journal Frontier in Behavioral Neuroscience.

According to the research, volunteers who took notes on paper, instead of using digital devices, “They had more brain activity in areas associated with languageimaginary visualization and the hippocampus, an important area for memory.”

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Improve learning

People assimilate better what they transcribe. This implies greater exercise of the sensorimotor parts of the brain, so there are more opportunities to accommodate information. Ideally, children should first learn to write by hand and then to type..

According to neuroscientist Claudia Aguirre, in an article published in Forbes magazine, “recent research has discovered a different neural pathway that is only activated when we physically draw our letters. And this path, deeply etched with practice, is linked to our overall success in learning and memory.”

Prevents mental aging

Writing, like filling out crosswords or putting together puzzles, stimulates neuronal activity and prevents or delays the appearance of cognitive impairment diseasessuch as Alzheimer’s or senile dementia.

Improves fine motor skills

There is an improvement in spatial organization and eye-hand visual motor coordination. This It is key in children from four to six years old and is related to manual manipulation skills, which include the precision of hand and finger movements, according to the study The effect of fine motor skills on handwriting legibilitypublished in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science.

Helps manage emotions

Placing worries with pencil and paper is therapeutic. Promotes the release of repressed emotions and relieves stress and anxiety. A study from Michigan State University suggests that “the simple act of writing about your feelings can help you perform a stressful task more efficiently.” Thus, the problems come out of the “mental drawer” where they were stored and, in a way, it makes you distance yourself from them by seeing them “from the outside.”

Allows you to structure ideas

Writing down objectives, plans, projects or pending things allows you to lead a more organized life. On the other hand, writing by hand also encourages ideas to flow. Great authors, like Stephen King, maintain this habit for the first sketches of their works.

Avoid distractions

When you take notes with a pen, increase your ability to concentrate on a taskcontrary to what happens when you work on the PC or on the phone, since it is easier for you to get distracted, for example, on social networks.