On The Benefits Of Handwriting

The Pen is mightier than the Keyboard

I don’t know if many people will still remember the feeling at school when the teacher first allows you to upgrade from childlike pencil to mature pen, but I can tell you it was pretty glorious.

Cursive penmanship is a dying art form, and invariably those who retain the skill will have their craft complemented in the workplace.

Unfortunately, once schools around the world have taught handwriting that focuses on legibility more than anything else (especially joining the letters together which is what I was taught), keyboard proficiency quickly supersedes the use of writing implements like pen, pencil or quill.

My prediction is that — like vinyl — handwriting will soon be back in vogue because it’s retro, pretty, and personable.

Not only that, but there are also proven cognitive benefits to writing with a pen that makes it all the more worthwhile. Multiple Tedx talks (the talk of master penman Jake Weidmann is a great example) have been given on the topic, and the science backs it up.

After all, who doesn’t like getting a handwritten birthday, Valentines or Christmas card?

Writing by hand (and later typing up) improves memory:

When scrutinized, the brain shows activity during writing by hand that does not occur when typing, because the action of writing actually stimulates the brain in many useful wars, improving cognitive function, sharpness, and memory.

Learning is easier when you have to think:

Actively choosing which words to use rather than having them suggested for you by a piece of software prevents aging of the brain and encourages creativity.

Similarly, this is useful when learning additional languages, as the language processing part of the brain “activates” when writing.

It’s especially useful for people with Dyslexia:

A 2013 article from the Washington Post shows that whilst handwriting and cursive are known to be dying out, they’re especially useful for learning development in children with Dyslexia.

An American Academic Therapist had this to say:

“Because all letters in cursive start on a base line, and because the pen moves fluidly from left to right, cursive is easier to learn for dyslexic students who have trouble forming words correctly.”

There’s power in a hand-written to-do list:

Physically performing the action of writing down a to-do list and then crossing out its components is immensely satisfying and fills the mind with positive emotions because rather than simply deleting notes you can see the progress being made.

“Graphotherapy” is a thing:

There are a great many articles on the benefits of keeping a gratitude journal.

One of the reasons this is so powerful is that actually writing out something like “I am grateful to be alive today” twenty times can cause you to genuinely believe the statement and feel that resultant gratitude.

In this case, Graphotherapy is defined as choosing to use certain words in your writing in a — likely successful — effort to see those words.

Reduces depression and anxiety:

Handwriting is — perhaps incorrectly — thought of as slower and more leisurely than typing, and is known to bring about a feeling of calm and a resultant slowing of the heartbeat, which can promote feelings of tranquility and allow the writer a moment of peace; rare in today’s world.

See your workings out:

Notes would likely be referred to as Metadata by a computer.

Metadata is important because it is data about data.

It provides context.

When you can see the words you’ve crossed out and replaced, you can start to understand the choices you’ve made and why. Whilst many word processors do have this capability, it is not switched on by default, and your writing will be missing important context.

The freedom of paper is creativity:

Your word processor forces you to follow certain rules: font, size, shape, language, pre-approved Word Art and Emojis.

The paper does no such thing, and is, therefore, importantly, much more fun.

In summary:

Whilst a keyboard should absolutely be considered a relevant essential to your writing, there’s no reason to say you can’t both type and write by hand. It’s a choice, and one worth remembering.

Choose to do both, and enjoy these benefits.

I for one enjoy the improvement of my penmanship with the aids of the master penman studies of iampeth, appreciate the different ways of teaching script and relish in writing daily journals and short gratitude letters to my significant other.

Combine that with my profound love for the fountain pen. There is just something about the subtle softness of a Visconti Homo Sapiens in the hand or the sensation of a marvellous Japanese Pilot with custom nib gliding over my paper while releasing a Sepia ink I just transferred into it from a beautiful bottle… and it is easy to see why I am such a firm believer in the power of handwriting and the return of this forgotten art form, much like we have seen with the return of traditional barber shops.