Recent Study Highlights the Disadvantages of Computer Use

Some findings from a scientific study that was published a couple years ago showed up recently in one of my news feeds. I found the conclusions a little disconcerting.

Basically, the neurological study by Professor Audrey van der Meer at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology determined that the act of handwriting—or drawing—creates much more brain activity, especially regarding learning and memory—than does the use of a computer keyboard. Part of the reason they gave was that writing by hand engages widespread areas of the brain that are responsible for movement, vision, and sensory processing. Typing, on the other hand, relies on simple, repetitive finger motions, so for this activity, scientists saw much less neural activation on the EEG that monitored the participants.

The study also suggested that the act of pressing pen to paper created “hooks” for memory, which created optimal conditions for memory formation and retention of new information. Finally, they suggested that because writing is slower than typing, it is not possible to record as much information from something like a lecture, so the brain is forced to actively prioritize, condense, and process the information in real-time, which allowed the participant to recall more information later.

I’m not sure I’m ready to give up my keyboard and go back to pen and paper for writing my books, but this study definitely gave me some things to think about. Now, if I could remember what they were…  

Image by Yamu_Jay from Pixabay