Why do people (still) write down their Thoughts?

Writings things down is a great way of regaining control of the everyday stress we all experience. Keeping a journal can also be a great idea that can help you achieve control of your purpose and direction.

Why Handwriting?

Let's face it: handwriting takes longer than typing. But, Handwriting forces your brain to mentally analyze and interact with the information, while typing encourages notes taking on autopilot without giving much thought to the information that is being consumed. 

Memory Support - Handwriting vs Typing

One of the most heard advice in college nowadays is to write things down in your notebook. Research conducted by Princeton University (Pam Mueller)  and the University of California, Los Angeles (Daniel Oppenheimer) found that writing by hand can increase memory retention and comprehension. The research compared students who took handwritten notes to those who typed notes on their laptops. It concluded that although there are some benefits to writing more notes verbatim, typing actually impairs learning because of the way our brain processes information.

The research, called Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking, showed that when students typed their notes, they tried to type verbatim and as much as they could. This method only allows for service level retention due to the idle nature of typing notes. Mueller and Oppenheimer explained that “there is something about typing that leads to mindless processing and there is something about ink and paper that prompts students to go beyond merely hearing and recording new information”. When handwriting notes, one must be selective because you can’t write as quickly as you can type. That extra step and layer of processing allows for deeper retention and analysis.