On the heels of the last blog about motivation for writing, I recently came across an interesting article which discusses the importance of writing things down by hand and the benefits unique to doing so. I'm not going to link the article because it wasn't well cited; however, I compiled the research and am presenting to you, A Case for Handwriting.

I am a huge advocate of developing typing skills. As a child in the late 1980s, I remember being bewildered by how fast my mother typed and made it a life goal to outpace her one day. She was taught properly in school, on a typewriter, so she has excellent form. My typing is of the willy-nilly, hunt and peck variety and is quite ugly to witness... but, I am fast, and it gets the job done. 

Being able to type quickly helps when your thoughts are racing faster than your hand can write and you want to get them down before you forget what you were going to say. However, in most things, I am an analogue gal. I write book outlines in little brown journals, keep an actual handwritten weekly calendar, obsessively write myself notes, write grocery lists on paper, and I enjoy handwriting cards. I even have one of those nerdy wax seals for letters like they used in the Middle Ages.

I know many people believe handwriting is inefficient and antiquated; however, I have always felt I remembered better what I was writing when it was done by hand rather than typed or texted. After reading this article, I set out to understand if there was a real connection, and I think there is good brain science why.

Your Brain on Handwriting

Here's some fascinating research: when scientists hooked people up to brain monitors, they found that handwriting lights up huge networks across the brain. The areas for movement, vision, sensory processing, and memory all start talking to each other. 

When the same people typed? Barely any activity in those areas (Scientific American, 2024).

 Researchers in Tokyo discovered something equally interesting. They had people write stuff down on paper versus typing on devices, then tested their memory an hour later. The paper-and-pen group not only remembered more, they actually finished their tasks faster too (Umejima et al., 2021).

Why Students Should Keep Their Notebooks

Studies from Princeton and UCLA found that students who take notes by hand understand and remember the material better, especially when they need to really think about it later (as cited in Epica, 2024).

 The reason? When you type, you can basically zone out and copy everything word-for-word without really processing it. But handwriting forces you to slow down and actually think about what you're writing (NPR, 2024). You have to summarize, paraphrase, and make choices about what's important, all of which helps the information stick.

Memory and Problem-solving 

Brain scans show that handwriting wakes up the creative parts of your brain in ways typing doesn't. It gives you more flexibility in how you approach problems and express ideas (PMC, 2025). Think about it; when you're brainstorming on paper, you can doodle, draw arrows, write sideways, make mind maps. Have you ever been looking for something you wrote and though you can't remember it you do remember where it was on the paper or that it was in different ink because your pen ran out?

 Norwegian scientists found something they called "synchronized brain activity" when people write by hand different parts of the brain start working together. This synchronization completely disappears when people type (Science News, 2024). 

Just a purely anecdotal story- For my first book, I typed out the outline and notes, trying to be professional using professional writing software, and when it came time to write the book; it was harder for me to keep my timelines and characters straight. I ordered some little novel-size notebooks, and for book two, I outlined and brainstormed everything by hand. When it came time to write, I had much better storyline recall and less frustration in the creative process.

For Kids

For children learning to read and write, handwriting is so important. Kids who practice handwriting are better at reading and understanding what they read. And according to research, they also have an easier time telling apart letters that look similar, like 'b' and 'd' (Scientific American, 2024).

 When kids form letters with their hands, they're creating their own personal understanding of what each letter is, and it builds stronger connections in the brain than just hitting keys (Stack Overflow, 2022).

Mental Health Boost

Something we learn in counseling school and is backed by research published in the Journal of Psychology and Psychiatry is that people who journal by hand report 20% better emotional clarity and less stress (as cited in Epica, 2024). There's something about the slow, deliberate pace of handwriting that helps us process our thoughts and feelings. It's reflective and gives you time to slow down and think through what you're feeling instead of just dumping it all out in a rushed text or email (Epica, 2024).

A Future Problem?

Writing things down by hand is like a workout for multiple areas of the brain. I can't help but wonder what the studies might say in 5-10 years regarding the consequences of these parts of the brain not being as developed in kids who write less overall.

Maybe… during the formative developmental years, it would be wise to keep the focus on what science clearly shows helps these areas of the brain activate and develop properly and maybe there’s a case for all us middle agers with brain fog to get back in the habit of handwriting as well.

After all, as one researcher put it, paper might actually be more advanced than our digital tools when it comes to learning and memory (Sakai, as cited in ScienceDaily, 2021). Who would have thought that in 2025, one of the best brain hacks would be something humans have been doing for thousands of years?

There is also some very interesting research on cursive handwriting, but that's for another day.

References

Epica. (2024, December 1). The science behind handwriting: How it affects learning and memory. https://epica.com/blogs/articles-by-epica/the-science-behind-handwriting-how-it-affects-learning-and-memory

 NPR. (2024, May 11). As schools reconsider cursive, research homes in on handwriting's brain benefits. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/05/11/1250529661/handwriting-cursive-typing-schools-learning-brain

 PMC. (2025). The neuroscience behind writing: Handwriting vs. typing—Who wins the battle? https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11943480/

 Science News. (2024, January 26). Handwriting may boost brain connections more than typing does. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/handwriting-brain-connections-learning

 Scientific American. (2024, July 30). Why writing by hand is better for memory and learning. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-writing-by-hand-is-better-for-memory-and-learning/

 ScienceDaily. (2021, March 21). Study shows stronger brain activity after writing on paper than on tablet or smartphone. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210319080820.htm

 Stack Overflow. (2022, November 23). Why writing by hand is still the best way to retain information. https://stackoverflow.blog/2022/11/23/why-writing-by-hand-is-still-the-best-way-to-retain-information/

 Umejima, K., Ibaraki, T., Yamazaki, T., & Sakai, K. L. (2021). Paper notebooks vs. mobile devices: Brain activation differences during memory retrieval. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2021.634158

 Van der Weel, F. R., & Van der Meer, A. L. H. (2024). Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity: A high-density EEG study with implications for the classroom. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1219945. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945