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Taking notes by hand is better for your memory than using a keyboard, study reveals
A new study has found, that while it might be slower, taking notes by hand could be better for your memory than using a keyboard.
Whether you are in school or a work meeting, keeping up with notetaking can be a stressful experience. Whilst many of us choose to take notes using a keyboard because its the quicker and easier solution, writing information down by hand might actually be better for your memory in the long term.
Taking notes by hand is better than using a keyboard
A new study from researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology suggests that taking notes by hand increases connectivity linked to memory and learning in our brains, compared to using a phone or laptop keyboard.
In laymans terms, handwriting your notes stimulates more areas of your brain than simply clicking different buttons on a keyboard; and its those areas that are responsible for how well we understand and remember a topic.
The scientists explained how when you type on a keyboard, you only make very simple finger movements towards the keys and theyre exactly the same movements for every letter you want to write.
However, when taking notes by hand, you are making specific and detailed motions that are unique to each letter.
Handwriting uses more senses and the body is more involved, shared Audrey van der Meer, one of the lead researchers on the project.
That means more of the brain is active and there needs to be communication between these active parts.
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Such widespread brain connectivity is known to be crucial for memory formation and for encoding new information and, therefore, is beneficial for learning, she said.
Interestingly, the team also suggests that this could be the reason why some younger people who learned to read and write through tablet electronics can struggle with notetaking in later life:
Children who have learned to write and read on a tablet, can have difficulty differentiating between letters that are mirror images of each other, such as b and d. They literally havent felt with their bodies what it feels like to produce those letters.
It should be noted that the data from this study was collected from students in their early 20s, and the same results may not extend to older notetakers in a professional working environment, or younger students at lower levels of education.
So, whilst the scientists did note that its obviously much easier to use a computer and keyboard, they ultimately came to the conclusion that sometimes its better to take notes by hand.
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Other ways to help speed up the notetaking process
If you find yourself struggling to keep up with the speed at which your boss or teacher is explaining a topic, there are a few things that you can do to help speed up the process and reduce your anxiety at the same time.
Paraphrase where you can Notetaking doesnt mean writing in full sentences every time, paraphrase information where you can and use abbreviations to help condense large amounts of information at once.
Practice handwriting at home Just because you take notes quickly, doesnt mean you will be able to read them afterward; the better your handwriting is, the more legible the notes are and the quicker notetaking becomes.
Separate different notes for different topics Using colored highlighters or underlining certain notes can help separate information into more digestible chunks.
Follow up with asking for supplementary notes Teachers/lecturers often have extra materials from a lesson, so take advantage of any supplementary resources they have.
Sit as close to the front as you can Students who sit closer to the teacher are more likely to actively listen for extended periods of time, and they wont miss important bits of information from over-talking.
Once you have all of your notes written down, remember to check them thoroughly before studying.
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