The IAA One Minute Blog

Writing by hand may seem old school, but according to a new study, typing is less stimulating for the brain.

Writing vs. Typing

After recording the brain activity of 36 university students, researchers determined that handwriting might improve learning and memory.

At the start of the experiment, the students were told to either write words in cursive using a digital pen on a touchscreen, or to type the same words using a keyboard. When the word on the screen appeared in front of them, they had 25 seconds to write or type it over and over.

A cap of sensors on their head measured their brain waves. The cap’s 256 electrodes attached to the scalp and recorded the electrical signals of the students’ brains, including where brain cells were active and how parts of the brain communicated with each other.

The study found that writing by hand required communication between the brain’s visual, sensory and motor cortices. People who wrote with the digital pen had to visualize letters, then use their fine motor skills to control their movement when writing.

By contrast, when typing, the keys look mostly the same, regardless of the letter. As a result, the study found typing required less brain activity in the visual and motor cortices.

Researchers believe that it is the physical forming of letters that improves attention and recall in the brain, rather than the computer screen. This compared to simply pressing a key on a keyboard, quickly forces the brain to engage more in the task at hand.

The research was published in the journal, “Frontiers in Psychology.”

What IAA has to Say

Insurance Administrator of America wants you to find ways to stimulate your brain! IAA knows that even small things, like writing documents out by hand, can make an impact.