The Case for Writing by Hand

We used to paint on cave walls. We carved on stones and marble our stories, myths, and legends. We put our imagination to work and transformed papyrus into a thin sheet to write on. We even used animal skins to immortalize our thoughts and stories, before paper spread from China to the rest of the world. All this was done by hand. We painted, drew, and wrote by hand.

And then, computers happened. We now click on buttons. We can erase, copy, and paste in seconds; move texts around; and introduce photos into our text. Digital writing has never been easier, faster, or more practical. And yet, we still scribble on paper and doodle when we get bored. Writing by hand on paper seems to be within us. It feels like there’s an intrinsic connection between the brain and the hand; our fingers translate our thoughts and feelings and immediately materialize them on paper.

What do you write down by hand?

Even so, I don’t write much by hand — besides grocery lists, anyway. I realized this as I was about to write this blog post. I write my dreams in my dream journal — a notepad I keep next to my bed.  And I keep hand-written notes during meetings with clients.

Pretty much everything else is done on my computer. As a copywriter, I write a lot of texts which I then share with colleagues. It would be impossible and time-consuming to write everything by hand and then re-write it on the computer. A few years ago, I would write the basic lines of a story, or even book, on a notepad and then type them on my computer and expand my thoughts the digital way. This is now gone as everything is digital. I even think that my penmanship has gone from average to barely legible as I have lost the art of writing by hand.

Years ago, I used to marvel at refined stationery, beautiful writing paper, and embossed envelopes. There was an art of sending letters and postcards and writing down thoughts of each other. When the missus and I got married, we carefully chose the paper, envelopes, and wording for our invitations and even signed them by hand. It was a personal touch that came from the heart.

The missus and other friends

I have the one friend who sends postcards when on holiday. All my other friends, family, and relatives use social media or send emails, Viber messages, and SMS. I must confess that opening the letter box and finding an actual envelope that’s not a bill is quite inspiring. Come to think of it, even my bills are electronic nowadays!

The missus writes her shopping list on paper — but she typically forgets it on the fridge, so I’m not sure that counts (she usually calls me from the supermarket to read her the shopping items as she whizzes across aisles picking forgotten groceries, mobile in hand). I did mention that she should write her list on her mobile but she steadfastly refuses. She still likes to write it on paper, scribbling items as she remembers them throughout the week.

She also has a thing about picking shopping list notepads when on holiday. They remind her of relaxed times and add an exotic touch to our kitchen. They are also a great way to jot down upcoming meetings and impromptu phone numbers. Of course, the shopping list is thrown in the bin after the shopping, along with useful info such as doctor’s appointments, and I have to go through the trash to retrieve the list and the precious information on it.

The case for writing by hand

A few days ago I stumbled upon this article on The Conversation that supported the case for continuing to write by hand. That’s when it came to me that I don’t write by hand anymore. There was a lot of information about better cognition and improved memory when writing by hand on paper, as opposed to typing it. Even the brain appreciates handwriting as it feels it’s more relaxing and less straining. Texts were better and more refined when written by hand and it was found that the brain functions more productively and more efficiently after handwriting exercises. Our writings are more creative when written by hand and more personalized. All in all, there is strong scientific evidence for handwriting.

Writing affects cognition and composition

The article mentions the example of Nietzsche, who received a gadget covered with keys in 1882. The thinker’s eyesight had been getting worse, to the point where he could no longer write by hand, but he was soon to continue writing thanks to this new instrument. His friend, the composer Heinrich Köselitz, noted a certain stylistic change in his texts from that time onwards, as his prose became more terse and succinct. It appears that the content of some of his philosophy was also affected.

The type of writing seems to set the pace of cognitive processing: a slow, cumbersome writing process can interfere with higher mental processes, causing ideas and relevant information to be forgotten.

In several experiments, an improvement has been noted in overall written composition (quality, length, and fluidity of text) after subjects completed handwriting exercises. In the same vein, a study has shown that students plan their texts more carefully when using pen and paper than they do when using a keyboard.

This doesn’t mean that handwriting is ubiquitously better, though. Editing, in particular, is much easier on a computer, which is probably why some meta-analyses comparing handwritten texts with those written on a computer found the latter to often be longer and better composed. And dyslexics or people with literacy problems benefit immensely from tools such as spell-checking and grammatical suggestions. 

Writing by hand improves memory

One other aspect related to handwriting concerns memorization. A recent study (2021) compared short and mid-term recall of words learned either by typing or writing by hand. Recall was better when words had been learned with a pencil and paper.

In another study, a small group of adults learned new symbols (from a language of Asian origin) that they then had to reproduce with a pencil or a keyboard. When they had finished learning the symbols, there were no differences in recall between the two methods, but the keyboard users forgot a significant amount of what they had learned as time passed by.

This has led some experts to suggest that learning by pen and paper is better because of its complexity, which leaves a more distinctive footprint in our memories. As a result, things are easier to memorize and recall.

Another related factor is that writing by hand seems to put less strain on our brains. Typing is more demanding on our mental resources, which makes it harder to memorize words. The increased mental load is likely due to the greater speed at which words are typed. 

What about the future?

As I type this on my computer (ha!), my eight-year-old daughter is writing her homework. Her first letters were terrible but there was immense pride when she managed to write down her first words and then sentences. I can tell how much effort it takes her to write words in a straight line, without a few letters jumping and dancing around as if they are floating and flying. I can now read her words and it actually makes my heart jump a little.

Interestingly enough, she first explored typing on my computer before she could hold a pen (what can I say, I blame genetics). She loved typing the same letter thousands of times and then giggling at the result. She also adored typing naughty words on the computer and laughing out loud at her achievement. But when she managed to write her own proper words on paper, by hand, I was immensely proud of her. It felt like a primordial need was kicking in and I knew that, with penmanship, she’d be able to fully express herself.

So, will she write by hand in the future? I hope so. Will I? I, too, will try to do so more, but my job makes it less probable. As for the missus, will she ever stop writing down her shopping list on paper? I highly doubt that. In fact, I’d better bring over the phone, as she’s gone to the supermarket — and forgot to take her list with her…