Why handwriting matters – at work and home


National Stationery Week has arrived (25 April – 1 May 2016) and it is a good reminder that we all love having a good selection of stationery in our house or on our desk at work. In this digital age, some people might opt to use their laptops for writing notes or letters, leaving handwriting to seem invaluable. However, the benefits of picking up a pen go much further, with gains for our brainpower and wellbeing when writing by hand.

So whilst the nation are celebrating their love for stationery, we’ve taken a look at why handwriting is the best tool for capturing information and inspiring creativity on paper:

The public agree!

It appears the British public would agree that writing matters. In a YouGov poll for National Stationery Week, 92% of people agreed that handwriting is very or fairly important, while 97% agreed that it’s important to teach handwriting to school children.

Calming

Increased calmness has been proved to be among the advantages of writing by hand. Handwriting expert Dr. Marc Seifer says that writing a sentence like ‘I will be more peaceful’ at least 20 times per day can make a difference: ‘‘This actually calms the person down and retrains the brain.’

Brainpower

The power of the pen is also recognised for improving our cognitive skills, with scientists saying that cursive writing gives us the capacity for optimal efficiency, with brain imaging studies revealing that multiple areas of brain become co-activated during the learning of cursive writing, compared to typing or just visual practice.

Learning

This comes into important play when teaching children. A 2012 study at Indiana University asked children who had not yet learned to read and write to reproduce a letter or shape by either tracing the image on a page with a dotted outline, drawing it on a blank white sheet, or typing it on a computer. They were then placed in a brain scanner and shown the image again. The researchers found that when children had drawn a letter by hand, they exhibited increased activity in three areas of the brain that are activated in adults when they read and write. By contrast, children who typed or traced the letter or shape showed no such effect.

Daily life


As Chris Leonard-Morgan, organiser of National Stationery Week, says: ‘Whether it’s jotting down a shopping list, writing a birthday card, taking down a phone message or filling in an application form, handwriting is part of our daily lives. While modern technology has transformed the way we communicate, the skill of handwriting remains important in education, employment and everyday life. It isn’t a question of just using one or the other.’

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Six safety wear basics

Image
Making sure people are equipped and dressed to do their work safely and healthily should be common sense, but it’s also required by law. The Health and Safety Executive says that people must be protected against any health or safety risks at work. Where health and safety cannot be adequately controlled in other ways, the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 require employers to provide suitable Personal Protective Equipment. When companies provide Personal Protective Equipment they have to make sure it’s properly assessed to ensure it is fit for purpose, that it’s stored and maintained correctly, that users are provided with instructions on how to use it properly and that it’s used correctly. This doesn’t just extend to workers. Customers and visitors also have to be protected whenever they are in any workplace or site with health and safety risks. Personal Protective Equipment reduces workplace accidents and ensures the safety of all site users. It’s essen...
Read more

The Key to Creating Effective Emails

Image
Email is a widely used tool for business communications and the average office worker receives over 80 emails every day. Therefore, we must create effective emails to be noticed above the bunch.  However, how can you avoid your emails from causing tension and confusion, being ignored, or sent to the spam folder? And how can you write emails that get the results you want? Many of us are unaware that the answer to this solution is simply to have the correct content. However, this is easier said than done since the strategy can be complicated. This article looks at strategies you can use to ensure that your use of email is clear, effective, and successful. 1. Don't over communicate by email. One of the biggest sources of stress at work is the sheer volume of emails that people receive. So, before you begin writing an email, ask yourself: "Is this really necessary?” You should even think about using the phone to deal with questions or queries that are likel...
Read more

The Office Heatwave: How To Cope

Image
It’s often that we’re looking to turn the heating up in English offices, as sunny days are a rare accompaniment to our usual week in the office. But with the weather being surprisingly hot lately, we decided to put a few top tips together to help you cope with oppressive office heatwaves and, hopefully, keep you going until the beer garden calls at the end of the day. 1. Ditch the coffee Did you know that during these hot summer days you need to rehydrate with at least 2-3 litres of water a day because we tend to sweat more? This brings us to rule number 1 - Hydration. Get this wrong, you might as well bang your head on the desk a few times to match the headache (and potential heatstroke) that you will be suffering with. You know that water cooler you have in the office? Use it. Our advice would be to bring in a bottle and fill that up, as those tiny little plastic cups can easily fool you into thinking that you’ve drunk enough for the day. (Don’t ...
Read more