In an era dominated by mechanical keyboards, touch screens and cutting-edge tablets, the ancient gesture of sliding a pen over paper seems like an anachronism reserved for people who haven’t kept up to date. And this is a reality in areas of study such as, for example, universities, where it is rare to see someone studying by hand. But the reality is that, to be much more productive while studying, it may be best to put the laptop aside and start writing.
The ‘magic’ of the pen. Here science, in its different disciplines, has concluded that taking notes by hand significantly improves retention and comprehension compared to actively using digital devices. And it’s not a question of romanticism, it’s a question of neural processing.
A transcription effect. One of the pillars of this evidence is in a study published in 2014 that pointed out that students who use laptops to take notes become authentic transcribers of what the teacher says. And we have reached the point where many people can write faster than teachers speak and become “transcription machines” without processing the information. and stay with what is most important. I have even seen that even jokes end up being copied.
On the contrary, someone who writes by hand cannot write down everything. This requires you to engage in active cognitive processing: you must listen, digest, synthesize, and rephrase the idea in your own words. This “desirable difficulty” generates a much deeper encoding in memory that lasts even a week after the study.
Better paper. Beyond the transcription effect, neuroscience has confirmed that the benefit is not only strategic, but also physical. Here, a 2021 study published by the University of Tokyo demonstrated using electroencephalograms that handwriting activates brain areas critical for memory, language, and fine movement.
This is why, when using a pen, it has been seen that the hippocampus is significantly activated, which is essential for memory and spatial coding of information. But it does not stop there, since up to 25% more neuronal connectivity has been detected in complex tasks when the analog method is used. This explains why students in highly demanding careers tend to perform better cognitively when they opt for neural methods such as engineering.
Less distractions. Beyond neurons, paper offers a competitive advantage in the study environment, since it is a closed system. This is very important because a tablet or laptop is also a tool with open doors to notifications, social networks and messaging apps that can be a temptation when it comes to interrupting study quite easily.
In addition, it facilitates word recognition and visual memorization, something vital for competitive exams or high-level exams such as a competition. And while well-designed digital notes may be superior for quickly remembering a single fact, paper wins by a landslide in conceptual understanding.
Images | yanalya in Magnific
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