16 Surprising Benefits Of Writing By Hand vs Typing
Do you need some inspiration to pick up your pen again?
Handwriting has incredible benefits that you’ll never get by typing into your laptop or smartphone. And it works whether you’re journaling, taking notes at a work meeting or writing a to-do list.
There’s a huge difference between handwriting and typing.
Though journaling isn’t easy if you haven’t written in a while. Your hand will cramp, your handwriting will look awful and you’ll struggle with writer’s block.
But stay with it and you’ll be amazed at how much a journal can change your life.
Maybe you once kept a diary where you unloaded all your feelings. Those teenage diaries are often forgotten when we grow up and get too busy to write.
But lately the art of journaling is making a huge comeback. And for very good reason: journaling has life-changing benefits, especially when you’re penning your thoughts on physical paper.
Here are some powerful benefits of writing by hand:
1. Writing by hand boosts creativity
Writing by hand helps you think outside the box. It gives your mind free rein to express itself outside your daily routine.
Your mind often replays the same worries in an endless loop. But writing by hand pushes your mind to new observations. It forces you to slow down and fish out insights from your stream of thoughts.
And this is a proven fact. Studies found that children who wrote essays by hand expressed more ideas than children who wrote at a keyboard.
2. Improves your memory
Writing something down makes you far more likely to remember it.
Students who take longhand notes during lectures have better long-term memory recall. The spatial relations between your handwriting and your hand help you retain information better in the long term.
Research has found a distinct neural pathway that’s activated when you physically write out letters. And this pathway is linked to your overall success in learning and memory.
Handwriting requires a sequence of strokes to form a letter – not just a single push of a key. And studies show that these sequential movements activate the brain regions responsible for memory.
3. Relieves depression and anxiety
Writing by hand slows down your thoughts, boosts mindfulness and increases calm.
A lot of your frustration and sadness comes from unexpressed thoughts that are repeated in your mind in circles.
But studies show that writing about a stressful experience is more therapeutic than typing about the experience. It leads to greater and more honest self-disclosure.
Writing by hand is so effective against depression and anxiety that it’s often recommended by therapists.
4. Improves your learning comprehension
Students who take notes during lectures retain information better than those who type notes into their laptops.
Writing by hand is slower so it lets you filter information and put it into your own words. And that helps with understanding.
Research shows that taking notes on a laptop results in more shallow processing than writing notes by hand. It’s also much easier to get distracted on your computer.
Studies found that students who take notes on their laptops do worse with conceptual questions than students who write notes by hand. Other studies found that students who use laptops during lectures show a decreased academic performance and have a harder time staying on task.
When you take notes, you’re summarizing and paraphrasing information to distill down more complicated concepts. This is much more effective for learning than typing out what the professor says verbatim.
5. Improves your prioritization skills
Writing by hand is slower than typing. So you naturally pick out the main points in lectures or talks and summarize them into a few simple words.
Because the sheer effort of writing by hand makes you less likely to just transcribe whatever you hear.
Writing by hand also lets you create outlines, make arrows, cross things out or highlight. You can even use your own form of shorthand to take quick notes.
6. Enhances your focus
Writing by hand forces you to slow down and follow your train of thought to its conclusion.
Handwriting also helps children with ADD and AD/HD – and learning cursive improves students’ concentration.
The process of writing uses a particular part of the brain that filters any irrelevant information. When you form letters on paper, you concentrate better and your brain considers what you’ve written.
7. Makes you a better writer
Brilliant writers have been writing by hand long after the invention of the typewriter.
From modern-day authors like Stephen King to 20th century legends like Hemingway, much of the world’s greatest prose was first scrawled out on paper (even when typewriters were available).
Writing on paper takes effort. And you’re not likely to waste words if only for the sake of avoiding a hand cramp. Writing by hand forces you to slow down and consider each phrase carefully.
Researchers found that writing by hand improves legibility, fluency and the quality of a student’s writing.
Another study at Washington University found that handwritten essays were richer and more complex than those typed on a computer.
8. Reminds you of the value of privacy
In a world where millions share their lives on social media, it’s refreshing to take back some space just for yourself.
Because writing has value even when you’re writing for your eyes only.
Your thoughts don’t have to be seen to be validated. It’s enough that your journal is a safe space for your own catharsis and release.
9. Helps your critical thinking
Handwriting lets your mind think more deeply over what you’re writing down.
It expands your thoughts and helps you form connections between ideas.
Writing by hand shows you the relationships between abstract concepts. And it helps you solve complex problems by letting you slow down to process your thoughts.
10. Slows down your mental aging
Your brain gets weaker when it’s not fully used. And writing by hand keeps your mind sharp and lets you stay curious.
Studies show that reading books, writing letters and staying mentally active protects the brain in old age. When you mentally challenge yourself, you slow down cognitive decline.
Some physicians recommend handwriting as a cognitive exercise for baby boomers who want to keep their minds alert.
11. Eliminates distractions
Computers are a playground for distractions with their multiple tabs and notifications.
A paper notebook is a distraction-free zone where you can forget all about your emails for a while.
Writing on paper takes you away from the online world and from other people’s opinions to focus solely on yourself.
12. Combats dyslexia
Dyslexia is caused by a disconnection between the auditory and language centers of the brain. And writing by hand helps bring those centers together.
Students with dyslexia struggle with reading because their brains associate sound and letter combinations inefficiently, says language specialist Marilyn Zecher.
Learning cursive helps with this decoding process because it boosts hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and other brain and memory functions.
Although cursive writing is increasingly rare in public schools, it’s still often a powerful therapy for dyslexia.
13. Develops your brain
Cursive writing trains your brain to use different parts of the mind for different functions.
Children who learn cursive use fine motor skills and visual and tactile processing abilities that help their cognitive function.
Teachers often know the full benefits of learning cursive. And when handwriting is cut from a school curriculum, it often stirs controversy.
Handwriting helps children to pay attention to written language. Studies show that students who have good fine-motor writing skills in preschool do better in later education.
Writing by hand makes you a better reader and improves letter recognition.
14. Improves your hand-eye coordination
Your hand movements in handwriting are constantly different as you join different letters together.
And that’s more mentally demanding than hitting a single stroke for each letter on a keyboard.
When you write by hand, you’re challenged to think about what you’re doing. It’s nearly impossible to form a word on paper when your mind drifts away.
15. Improves your self expression
Writing by hand makes you more eloquent. It teaches you how to draw out your thoughts and consider them carefully.
Writing by hand is slower and gives you time to consider your phrases. It gives you some leeway to express yourself badly and improve over time.
Whether you work in a creative or analytic field, studies show that writing by hand helps you communicate complex ideas.
When you write by hand, you gain confidence in your ability to express yourself. It’s easier to speak on any subject when you’re well-versed in methodical writing.
16. Makes your notes special
Nobody has ever treasured a text message or an email inside a box of keepsakes.
But handwriting is unique to everyone and handwritten notes and letters are much more personal.
It’s why people still write out Christmas cards, birthday greetings and wedding invitations by hand. Such messages are prized because they’re more intimate and unique to each person.
Read next:
51 Inspiring Quotes About Journaling (To Get You Writing!)
Nature Journaling: An Essential Guide (+8 Tips To Start)
Journaling for Mental Health (And 30 Powerful Prompts)
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