Japanese study finds that writing by hand increases brain activity more than electronic memos

Having trouble coming up with or recalling an idea? Try writing it down.

Electronics can do pretty much anything for us nowadays, including organizing our schedules, taking notes, and even meeting a bunch of virtual crabs.

But have you ever wondered if physically writing something down is better for you in the end?

The University of Tokyo and NTT Data Institute of Management Consulting published a study on March 19 saying that handwriting actually increases brain activity more than you would if you used a smartphone or tablet.

▼ Brain stimulation in progress?

In the experiment, researchers divided 48 participants between the ages of 18 and 29 into three groups — one for handwritten notes, one for smartphones, and one for tablets — and asked them to write down plans for the next two months based on a sample text. They were then quizzed on what they wrote down an hour after the exercise while researchers measured their brain activity via functional MRI.

The study found that while there wasn’t much of a difference in the number of correct answers that each of the three groups gave, the handwritten group’s brains showed more activity in areas of the brain that process memories and language.

Associate professor Kuniyoshi Sakai, who participated in the study, claims this is because your brain better remembers the sensation and location of where you physically write letters on a piece of paper. So while electronics like smartphones and tablets take up less space and are great for looking things up, Sakai argues that handwriting can be better for thinking or creativity-based exercises.

Japanese netizens were fascinated with the study and offered their own thoughts on handwriting versus typing.

“I knew it! I always find it easier to sort out my thoughts when writing by hand. Tools like Apple Pencils are great because they don’t require paper, but I don’t want to solely be drawn in by their convenience. “I want to stay flexible.”
“I’ve felt a bit embarrassed carrying around a paper planner, but this news makes me so happy! I actually like writing.”
“I think electronics have more pros, though.”
“Yeah, but smartphones have kanji conversion.”

Like the last netizen said, writing things by hand could change between languages. You’ll have to have a lot of writing practice to remember thousands of Japanese kanji characters, but if you have a smartphone or tablet, the device will convert your writing from phonetic hiragana to complicated kanji with little effort on your part.

It’s probably this kind of convenience that prompted Shibuya Ward to give each elementary and junior high school students a tablet! But we have a feeling, despite that, teachers will still be asking kids to practicing writing kanji by hand.

Sources: Otaku.com via Jiji.com
Images: Pakutaso
Insert image: Pakutaso
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Credit: