2022.11.23

In this era, let’s revisit the benefits of handwriting!

Satoshi

While digitalization is progressing, the advantages of handwriting are also being reevaluated. Especially in the Corona Disaster, handwritten diaries and notebooks are becoming popular for stress care. In this digital age, why don’t we re-evaluate the advantages of handwriting? In this issue, we will explain the advantages of handwriting.

Advantages of Handwriting

If you are accustomed to digitalization, handwriting may seem inefficient because it is tiring and slow. However, there are advantages to handwriting that typing does not offer. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of handwriting.

It makes it easier to accomplish goals.

It is said that goals are easier to achieve when they are written on paper and shared with someone else. Professor Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in the U.S., has scientifically proven that writing and sharing goals on paper is effective in increasing the rate of goal attainment.

In Professor Matthew’s experiment, participants were divided into five groups and asked to work on their goals. The results show that the rate of goal achievement was as follows

No written goals…43% achievement rate
Writing goals on paper: 61% achievement rate
Write goals on paper and make an action plan…51% achievement rate
Writing goals on paper, making action plans, and promising them to friends…64% achievement rate
In addition to 4, I will report my progress to my friend on a weekly basis… 76% achievement rate

The achievement rate when goals are written on paper is 1.4 times higher than when they are not written. In addition, if you write them down on paper, make an action plan, share it with your friends, and report your progress on a weekly basis, the achievement rate increases even more.

If you tend to set goals but end up only doing them for three days, it is a good idea to first write them down on paper. If you then make a plan of action and report your progress to a friend every week, you are likely to greatly increase your rate of achievement.

Also, according to Henrietta Ann Clauser, author of “Dreams Become Reality by Writing Them Down on Paper,” the one thing that all people who have realized big dreams have in common is that they wrote their dreams down on paper. Writing stimulates cells in the brainstem’s reticular activating system (RAS), which is the filter that sorts the vast amount of information that comes into our eyes into necessary and unnecessary. By writing, the RAS tells the cortex, “Wake up. Pay attention. Don’t miss a detail. The brain is said to remind itself not to miss the signs of opportunity in order to achieve the dream.

Deepen your understanding

It is said that handwritten notes can be remembered longer than typed records. A study by Pam Muller and Daniel Oppenheimer of Princeton University found that students who took handwritten notes retained conceptual information longer than those who took notes on a computer. This is because when students take notes on a computer, they write down the information verbatim, whereas when they write by hand, they process, select, and write down the information themselves.

Generally speaking, a computer seems to be more efficient because you can record more information more quickly. In reality, however, handwriting is more efficient for learning because it deepens understanding.

It can activate the brain.

Handwriting is said to be effective in activating the brain. According to Professor Ryuta Kawashima of the Institute of Development, Aging, and Cancer, Tohoku University, writing with one’s fingers activates the prefrontal cortex of the brain. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain responsible for “thinking,” “remembering,” and “emotional control,” and when it deteriorates, people tend to forget things and become more emotional. Professor Kawashima has supervised many brain training games and texts, one of which is a text that involves tracing letters.

The autonomic nervous system is regulated

When the autonomic nervous system is disturbed, it causes physical and mental disorders. According to Professor Hiroyuki Kobayashi of Juntendo University School of Medicine, keeping a handwritten “three-line diary” before going to bed helps regulate the autonomic nervous system. 3 lines in the diary should be written in order of “what went wrong,” “what went right,” and “goals for tomorrow. The diary allows you to look at yourself objectively, which will help you to stop the bad trends and take control of your life in a positive direction.

In addition to the principle of writing by hand, there are a few other rules for the three-line diary.

●Write before going to bed.
●Write the date and day of the week.
●Keep it short and concise.
●Write carefully.
●Write when you are alone.

Letters can easily reflect the state of one’s mind, and disorderly letters indicate a disturbance in the autonomic nervous system. If you write slowly and carefully, your mind will become calmer, which means that the balance of the autonomic nervous system can be restored to normal.

If you make it a habit to keep a three-line diary, not only will your autonomic nervous system be regulated and your mind calm, but you may also find it easier to achieve your goals. Even if you are not confident about keeping a diary, you only need to write three lines, so you can start without hesitation.

It is easy to organize your thoughts.

If you want to organize your thoughts and feelings, handwriting is better suited than using a computer. You can freely express your thoughts in any way you like, including font size, color, boxes, diagrams, underlines, illustrations, etc. Handwriting makes it easier to organize your thoughts.

Nowadays, e-mail and social networking services have become the main communication tools. These tools are convenient because they allow us to send messages on the spot when we want to communicate. On the other hand, when you see a handwritten message on a New Year’s greeting card or a handwritten card attached to a gift, don’t you feel a sense of warmth from the recipient? Handwritten messages are warmer than typed ones and seem to convey feelings better.

It is important to take the time to write carefully.

The Analog Value Study Group has scientifically demonstrated that handwriting conveys feelings better than typing.

In the experiment, participants were asked to write a birthday greeting card to a close friend under three conditions: “take your time and write with all your heart,” “write as fast as you can at the highest speed you can write,” and “type the specified text. The results showed that handwritten text gave a more positive impression of “thoughtfulness” to the reader than typed text. Furthermore, the experiment showed that shorthand, even if handwritten, is less effective. This means that it is necessary for the writer to spend the cost of exercise (time) to write letters in order for them to be perceived as “heartfelt.

Typing gives the impression of politeness.

The results also show that although typing letters give the lowest degree of “thoughtful” impression to the reader, the degree of “polite” impression is higher than that of shorthand. In other words, typing not only allows you to type in a short amount of time, but also gives the reader a polite impression. It is an efficient means of communication because anyone can communicate in easy-to-read letters.

It is wise to use both handwriting and typing according to the purpose of the message.

Effects and benefits of sending handwritten letters

To send a letter, you need to prepare letterhead, envelopes, and stamps. There is also the disadvantage that it takes time to write and post the letter, and it takes a few days for the letter to reach the recipient. Recently, however, more and more people are reevaluating the advantages of letters.

After confirming the advantages of handwritten letters, we will finally introduce the effects and merits of sending handwritten letters.

It conveys your feelings

Handwriting, which takes time, has the effect of making the recipient feel that you took the time to write a letter for them. It has more warmth than typed letters and conveys your feelings better. If you want to express your gratitude, why not write a letter? For example, when you receive a gift, writing a letter after thanking the recipient over the phone will better convey your appreciation.

It will make a better impression.

In both business and private life, you can easily express your gratitude over the phone. However, by daring to send a letter, you will show that you have put your heart into it. It will also strengthen the impression that you are a “polite person” and “courteous.

Remain in the hands of the recipient

While some people may read their emails or social networking messages and call it a day, they may keep the letters they receive. Surprisingly, many people save their letters and read them again years later. The advantage is that they remain with the recipient and become a memory.

Conclusion

We have described the various advantages of writing by hand. Typing is many times faster than writing, and with the kanji conversion function, you can type more and more without hesitation. However, handwriting has such pleasant advantages as “deepening understanding” and “activating the brain,” so it is better to actively adopt handwriting when studying.

Handwriting also has the advantage of making it easier to achieve your goals. If you write your goals in your favorite notebook and report your progress to your friends, you may achieve your goals faster.

Handwriting also has the added benefit of making others happy. If you haven’t written a letter or sent a message card in a while, taking the time to write slowly and with care will surely be appreciated.

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