Lights. Camera. Write.
I’ve always found it amusing that we humans, the self-proclaimed intelligent species, don’t quite understand intelligence. It’s like a key trying to unlock itself. We are fascinated by intelligence -- we admire it, we chase it, and we often claim to recognize it with the confidence of a Cognitive Research Scientist saying, “I’ll know it when I see it”. Yet, we still do not understand intelligence. Even subsets of intelligence, such as the following two core aspects of behaviour; inhibitory control (our ability to think before we react) and attention, these are both incompletely understood.
While we may not fully understand intelligence, we can improve our own intelligence… by writing.
The benefits of writing – there are lots!
As I have said before, a lot of us are generally lazy, we do not do the hard work, and writing can be (should be?) hard work – or at least effortful. However, there are many benefits of writing such as improved communication, which is a strong differentiator in life. Yet, writing to improve many skills is something which is often overlooked, or not clearly communicated. Writing is a fundamental aptitude which can significantly impact our thinking processes and overall mental capabilities.
Think about it. The act of writing requires juggling ideas, planning, and managing language mechanics (sentence structure and … yuck grammar). This process enhances our critical thinking skills and improves our ability to process and analyze information.
Writing Clarifies Thinking
The very act of writing is a powerful process that sharpens our thinking and boosts our cognitive abilities. By transforming abstract and jumbled thoughts into written words, we are forced to structure our ideas coherently, leading to better understanding and retention of concepts.
As David Foster Wallace so eloquently put it:
“‘Learning how to think’ really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to.”
Writing is the act of assembling the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle or turning a chaotic heap of thoughts into a coherent picture. When you write, you’re forced to organize your thoughts, make connections, and fill in gaps. Through writing, you hone your words and thoughts and strengthen your own understanding. You unravel complex ideas and commit them to memory more effectively.
Enhanced Memory and Learning
It is clear that writing can significantly improve memory retention. And as I shall write more in future posts, memory is all we have. The active process of writing results in more robust neural encoding of information – it keeps the poorly understood brain sharp and alert.
Improves Communication Skills
Good writing translates to effective communication. And not just spoken skills, think of music. Musicians write the notes and songwriters sketch out the lyrics. software is another language, programmers write code. Writing is pervasive in society, film scripts, commercials. Marshall McLuhan, who framed the term the medium is the message, beautifully penned this line about writing:
“How to embody, and to colour THOUGHT?”
What’s not to like?
Writing stimulates creativity, boosts problem-solving abilities, encourages mindfulness, builds confidence, facilitates emotional healing, and fosters empathy. By articulating your thoughts clearly on “paper” (physical or digital), you learn to express yourself better in all areas of life.
These diverse benefits underscore the profound impact of writing on cognitive and emotional well-being.
In essence, writing acts as a cognitive scaffold, enabling us to construct coherent and well-structured thoughts, a foundational element of the elusive intelligence.
dr. Colin W.P. Lewis, Professor Artificial Intelligence