The Benefits of Handwriting: 10 Surprising Truths About Handwriting (2023)

Handwriting is at the top of the so-called "endangered" list of human activities because it is very likely to become extinct soon. Advanced technologies like smartphones and computers are so pervasive in our everyday lives that they have almost replaced some of the more traditional activities like typing.

Writing a few notes or keeping a personal journal has become obsolete due to modern technology saving time, freeing up more space and making every process feel faster than the traditional one. But wait a minute! There is a significant price we all have to pay when we remove traditional activities like calligraphy from our lives. According to many different studies, handwriting has many benefits for the brain that you cannot get from typing or touching screens.

Of course there is nothing wrong with typing or touchpads! We all need to incorporate these modern tools into our lives. On the other hand, we must respect the benefits of calligraphy, a spiritual process that shows how much storytelling is valued. There is an important connection between writing and building a successful life. And these are 10 essential reasons found byEposExperts to explain why handwriting is so valuable to our state of mind!

1. Handwriting strengthens our memory

Whatever you write on paper requires 100% focus and attention, and you need to be highly motivated to write it all. Before computers existed, writing was the most common way to keep our memories in shape. The extensive use of computers and other smart devices does not allow us to use the full power of our consciousness to update and write things down. Technology enables us to store a significant amount of different information in different ways that we can easily retrieve when we need it. This process of writing versus typing slows down our memory and ability to focus, allowing us to remember and build something concrete on paper. The antidote is this:Preserve memories through journaling- is considered one of the most effective ways to keep your mind fresh.

2. Handwriting helps us promote ideas

The human brain is the perfect tool. An adaptable, high-speed machine that works fast and constantly moves back and forth at the same time. Our mind forces us to follow our ideas; otherwise they will fall by the wayside. This tells us that writing is the most effective way to keep our inspiration. Staring endlessly at your PC screen with too many tabs open in your internet browser puts you on autopilot and robs you of the motivation to write what you initially thought. Just put your devices away for a while, grab a pen and start exploring. Let all your thoughts come to mind as the specific words and phrases guide you to release your inspiration as you write on yourClassic leather calendar with unlined pages.

3. Calligraphy is a form of therapy

Contemporary scholarship and a significant number of writers advocate calligraphy as an effective form of therapy. Calligraphy allows for reflection and progression, and there are many forms of therapeutic writing. Scientists believe that by exchanging ideas, confessing, and sharing secrets, we achieve a high level of self-awareness that helps us express our inner selves, see the best and worst versions of ourselves, and even accept our true identity . here they are great6 reasons why people who write every day are happier!

4. Handwriting improves learning

They say that hand-taking improves comprehension and conclude that note-takers' tendency to transcribe lectures verbatim, rather than processing the information and rephrasing it in their own words, is detrimental to learning. Handwriting forces us to use our full blended learning repertoire as we try to think of specific information, then form the text in our mind, and finally use the right combination of words in writing. The more we write something, the greater the chance of learning it. And if we manage to repeat this process often, we optimally train our ability to learn.

5. Handwriting helps people with dyslexia

Deborah Spear, a Great Falls academic therapist, told the Washington Post that cursive writing is an essential part of her work with students with dyslexia. "Because all italic letters begin on a baseline and because the pen moves smoothly from left to right, italics are easier to learn for students with dyslexia who have trouble forming words correctly." . Dyslexia has risen sharply these days as children move closer to smartphones and tablets and on the other hand write less. Schools should make the most of the calligraphy process through activities that naturally reflect a child's interest and willingness to learn. Journaling is one of the most creative ways to heal mental illness, as we wrote about in a previous articleTherapy diary: Writing to heal..

6. Handwriting keeps our to-do lists complete

Regarding handwriting lists and goal attainment, researcher Dr. Jordan Peterson told Forbes, "It seems possible that writing, which is a formal way of thinking, helps people glean information from their experiences that helps guide your perceptions, actions, thoughts, and emotions." in the present... Clarifying purpose and meaning for the future helps reinforce the positive emotion associated with moving closer to important goals..."

Write your to-do list in a simple checklist and try to keep it in order by deleting what you've done. This is an effective way to stay organized and solid in your tasks. And believe me, that feeling when you've just accomplished your plan is priceless.

7. Handwriting can effectively calm your nerves.

As suggested by Dr. For Marc Seifer, graphologist and calligraphy expert, writing a soothing sentence is a kind of "graphotherapy". How does this work? writing on aClassic leather calendar with striped pagesA simple phrase like "I'm getting calmer" at least 20 times a day can change the way you think and gradually become a form of behavior. "It really calms you down and retrains your brain," says Seifer. Because writing is a mental process that can calm your brain, it's a perfect activity to unwind at night.

8. Handwriting sharpens critical thinking

Choosing the right words can be a tricky business. The choice of this word over another creates a dilemma that exposes us to critical thinking. Handwriting in your journal allows you to think more deeply about the information you are recording compared to writing or even touching a screen with your finger. Also, handwriting encourages you to expand your thoughts and make connections between them.

9. Handwriting relieves depression and anxiety

Don't wait for inspiration and happiness to knock on your door to write something. Use calligraphy as medicine when you are feeling excited, depressed or anxious. When you are feeling sad or stressed, materializing your thoughts by writing them in your journal can be fantastic therapy that will help you overcome your fears and become calmer in the face of all confusing situations. And because you associate more with words when you write it down, you can of course process a problem more easily if you put it on paper.

10. Handwriting makes you a better writer.

Writing tips can be very helpful! But sometimes practice and repetition is the best answer.

In a 1995 interview with the Paris Review, writer Susan Sontag said that she wrote her first drafts in analog format before writing them for later editing. "I write with felt-tip pen or sometimes pencil on yellow or white pads, that fetish of American writers," he said. "I like the slowness of writing by hand." Novelist Truman Capote insisted on a similar procedure, although it involved going to bed with coffee and a cigarette nearby. "No, I don't use a typewriter," he said in an interview. "Not at first. I write my first version by hand (pencil). Then I do a complete check, also by hand.”

A 2009 University of Washington study seems to support the penmanship of Sontag, Capote, and many other writers: middle school students who wrote essays with just a pen not only wrote more than their keyboard-playing peers, but also typed faster. . and in full sentences. And as a bestselling authorHeather Killough-Walden tells us on her guest blogfor Epica readers: “I start every book the same way. Everyone starts with a swoosh and a click. The hiss of a leather-bound journal opening seamlessly to a new lined page, and the click of a pen.”

Additional Reason #11. Writing is a natural extension of reading.

That's what New York Times bestselling author Tasha Alexander tells us

“Writing is a natural extension of reading. Like reading, it can transport us to different times and places. But unlike reading, you can be sure that the story will end exactly the way you want it to. When I was nine I started keeping a journal in a small bound notebook with lined paper, soon I had a second notebook, this one for a number of short stories I tried to write and failed in most cases To use the benefits of writing to get an idea of ​​what life was like for people in both turbulent and ordinary times. From sultry accounts of sojourn in Victorian London high society to the often grim notes of pioneers on the Oregon Trail, the journals give us an unvarnished glimpse into much of our correspondence and records being kept electronically today, and I wonder if future historians will thus have a more limited understanding than most people. real people thought and felt.Read Tasha's full articleto learn more about their ideas and inspirations.

Conclusion: How to get started

Handwriting may be considered a bit old-fashioned these days, but it's not about writing faster or easier. Above all, calligraphy is an important activity that benefits many aspects of our mind, body, behavior and reactions. You don't have to do without smartphones and computers, or be a fan of handwriting. Just find your suitable onepersonalized scheduleAnd use it as a handy daily planner - tasks, thoughts, and even an inspirational quote you've heard about are enough to keep your hand and mind sharp. Ready to get started but not sure how to start? Read this great article for great tipsHow to create your perfect writing environment.

Did you like this article? If you enjoy handwriting, or have experienced these or other benefits, we'd love to hear from you! And as a thank you, we'll send you a $20 coupon code to use toward the purchase of any Epica journal.