Handwriting or Typing for Memory

A recent study shows the benefits of handwriting to the brain

As digital typing on keyboards dominate our lives, the classic act of writing with a pen on paper is sadly becoming something of an endangered practice. This isn’t just a nostalgic lament but something I think we all instinctively know. How exactly does the brain work when writing by hand compared to typing on a keyboard? A study by Van der Weel and Van der Meer reveals that handwriting isn’t just a quaint activity, it’s a powerhouse for brain connectivity, a robust connection of electrical impulses that keyboards simply can’t match. For me using a pen is a must.

I personally know the scene all too well. Students are sitting, heads down, jotting notes during a lecture. 90 percent of them are typing on laptops, fingers moving in neat, repetitive taps. The other 10 percent are writing with pen and paper, their hands tracing loops and strokes. The difference isn’t just a matter of aesthetics or tradition, it’s biological, grounded in how the brain processes the task at hand. While the typers press keys, essentially identical motions repeated with little variation, on the other hand the pen writers have to carefully shape each letter, blending the visual and the motor in complex movements. And this subtle act turns out to be crucial for learning. Something I encourage at all costs.

High-density EEG scans from Van der Weel and Van der Meer’s study show that handwriting engages the brain in a way that typing does not, specifically, handwriting lights up the parietal and central regions of the brain with robust theta and alpha frequency bands. These patterns aren’t just trivia for neuroscientists, they’re indicators of complex inter-regional dialogues, fostering memory and learning. The message here is striking. If you’re learning something new, writing it down by hand is akin to cranking up the volume on your neural circuits, more notes, more connections, more learning.

Ramesh Balasubramaniam, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Merced, explains that the physical act of handwriting: “engages important processes that provide significant cognitive benefits”.

Because most people are not adept at touch typing, they spend additional time and concentration on the typing process, which detracts from their focus on the actual content. Handwriting, in contrast, relies more on muscle memory for most individuals, allowing them to concentrate more fully on what they are writing and to make deeper connections with the material.

But why does handwriting have this magical effect? It comes down to the intricacy and effort of it all. Typing is, neurologically speaking, mundane. You press a key and get a letter, with barely a glance. Handwriting, by contrast, demands a fine orchestration of visual, motor, and proprioceptive skills. Every swirl of the pen and every turn of the wrist provides feedback that the brain must integrate, in essence, handwriting brings together multiple neural threads into a cohesive process, promoting brain-wide synchrony in regions tied to memory and motor learning.

As researcher Virginia Berninger, a professor of educational psychology and principal investigator for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development states in the New York Times:

“When the children composed text by hand, they not only consistently produced more words more quickly than they did on a keyboard, but expressed more ideas.”

Now, it’s not about demonizing typing. After all, typewriting has clear advantages, particularly in terms of speed and efficiency. The keyboard is a primary tool of communication, and it’s not going anywhere. The implication, however, is that for foundational learning, such as taking notes during a lecture or working through a complex concept, handwriting remains irreplaceable. And it must be the essential method at schools.

Professor Berninger explains:

“Writing is the way we learn what we’re thinking.” “The handwriting, the sequencing of the strokes, engages the thinking part of the mind.”

Teachers, students, and policymakers might want to take heed, knowing when to use pen or computer keys can impact educational outcomes. A nuanced approach could involve teaching both skills, emphasizing handwriting where conceptual engagement and memory retention are key, and typing where speed and productivity take precedence.

The study by Van der Weel and Van der Meer is a cautionary message and a solution in equal measure. As we rush to digitize, perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to sideline the humble pen. I understand that there are environmental costs with paper, plastic and ink, but what about electric charging of machines? Of course this is also a consideration, but we should be exact about it, given what is at stake, our ability to create ideas and think.

I would like to see a similar study on using a stylus, something I do with my iPad. How does that impact the brain? Is it in equal measures to pen and paper? Or does the backlight and screen tapping from the iPad have a detrimental effect, compared to traditional pen and paper? How will it be when all we do is talk to our machines? Churchill used to complain that he was concerned about his own faculties when he relied on dictating his writing tasks to his secretaries.

The future may be digital, but our brains, it seems, still thrive on the analog rhythm of ink on paper. Rather than abandon handwriting for convenience, we might instead see it as a critical component in nurturing well-connected minds. An activity whose value, now understood through the science of brain connectivity, proves irreplaceable in its richness.

Stay curious and keep writing

Colin

Note - the study did call for limitations in typing. Yet overall, on average, the study does hold up that memory is enhanced with handwriting compared to typing. My belief is that young children should first and foremost learn handwriting and as I say above, use more typing at university. But throughout life, at least in mine, I have been able to remember more when preparing things such as index cards.