Why reading and writing on paper can be better for your brain

a reply to: ~Lucidity

Good job, Lucidity - yeah, as a psychology major, I have heard of similar studies involving both reading and writing on paper.

For reading on paper, there is more focus involved. Think of reading something online, where there are hyperlinks everywhere and other tabs open and pinging messenger apps.

When you read a book, it's just you and the text.

I swear, I would get more out of an ATS periodical mailed to my doorstep than reading posts on here, sometimes... just because I don't pick up all the details. I just think it would be fun to read the top posts of the week on paper, too.

a reply to: darkbake

Ha...I've tried printing them before, ATS threads, to read all snuggled up in bed (like someone said), but to no avail.

A while back someone had a tool that I think might have let you do that, but I don't know if it's still around or would work now.

originally posted by: new_here

I got some paper and asked him to draw "dad" in bubble letters. He did it without hesitation. I asked him to draw 'bad' and 'dab' and ''pad.' He did this flawlessly.



Then I set those aside and asked him to WRITE dad and bad and dab and pad. You could see the stress come over him. The hesitation and doubt and fear of failure. He botched it.

Thank You New,
That was a fascinating story, I wonder if there is a therapy form that relates to your discovery.
It inspired me.
WIS

I don't know if this reflects what the links do, but for me writing on paper demands more concentration because I can't as easily erase what I've written to correct a mistake. You also waste paper if you substantially chagne it. And it requires much more physical effort to write by hand. My hands get tired almost immediately, and I grew up writing by hand up through gradeschool. I also leanred cursive.

Along with the ease with which we can change or search what we've written on computers, comes a kind of impulsiveness. If there's any drawback, I think that'd be one of them.

I still think technology is hugely valuable though.

a reply to: diggindirt

That was a lovely, lovely post. Something very peaceful and serene about it.
Thank you

Jane

Thank You for a great thread.
We have omited the art of snail mail, writeing a love(ly) letter. Gratification on demand.
And as it states in the OP, tactile stimulation keeps our wonderful brains active.

That said I am so grateful for spell check as I know the readers of my letters are, (not here I don't have spell check on this Mule)
And when I compose my own private tales it is so comfortable that my hands move as fast as my head. I have another PC for writing that does have all the attributes I need.
Get this, when I am on ATS I have a dictionary ( a real book) by me.

Any way, to add to the general applause of the writen word.

When I was was a sailor, one of my favorite rituals was letter writeing. This was before digital world wide coverage.
Every evening, after chores were done and I had settled in to "civilian mode" I would write.
I would have multiple letters in the makeing to multiple friends and my journal.
I would pour my heart into the paper, write, draw.
Weeks, months would pass before I felt a letter was "complete", a work in progress.
And when I got home, people would pull out the letters and we would read them all over again.
Or they would write me, it could take months for a letter to find me, but the satisfaction of riping an envelope is like digging in to my favorite ice-cream.

In trade school, back in the '90 I hand copied EVERY thing on purpose, I took notes, got top grades and I still rememeber all of it.

What is the word on retaining digital reading v. paper?
I only read paper books, make notes, quote in journals, but I do enjoy the accessibility on-line. (just had to "look up" accesibility)
I truely appreciate to be able to access obscure articles.
If we only had paper we wouldn't have this discussion


Go Snail Mail, Cursive and all the others who wish to express them selves. (my cursive is BAD)
WIS

I'm pretty sure I found the reason we more easily remember when we hand write than when we type on a computer.

The brain seems to remember from repetition and it takes so much damn time to write on a piece of paper that I have the time to say to myself 7-8 times every stupid phrase before it's finally on the old piece of paper...not to mention that paper has no CTRL+S, can't undo, can't erase, can't change the phrase structure afterwards unless you type it aaaall over again.

Hand writing also hurts my elbow like hell...but I agree that it's the best way to remember. That's why I hand write all important details when taking courses in little notebooks.

But I still hate handwriting.

a reply to: WalkInSilence

You're welcome and thank you for participating with your very heartwarming and heartfelt thoughts. Rereading old letters that you can touch and know that that the person who wrote to you touched them too...that part of them still resonates in even long after they are gone...well there's a kind of connection there that digital just can't ever take the place of.

originally posted by: WalkInSilence

originally posted by: new_here

I got some paper and asked him to draw "dad" in bubble letters. He did it without hesitation. I asked him to draw 'bad' and 'dab' and ''pad.' He did this flawlessly.


Then I set those aside and asked him to WRITE dad and bad and dab and pad. You could see the stress come over him. The hesitation and doubt and fear of failure. He botched it.

Thank You New,
That was a fascinating story, I wonder if there is a therapy form that relates to your discovery.
It inspired me.
WIS

Thanks, WalkInSilence! It inspired me when it happened. I am still in awe of it, and honored to have shared the experience with that boy of 10. I've considered writing it up and submitting it to an educational magazine for teachers, or even something with more of a widespread audience, if anyone would publish it. I no longer thought of him as "learning disabled" (a horrible label anyway) and ever after saw him as "learning differently-abled" !

It's always been clear to me, that when kids (or anyone really) believe they can't... they never will. I love the phrase 'haven't done it yet' because it holds promise and hope... and Belief- that magic elixir of the mind!

P.S... I asked him to design the yearbook cover that year-- and he proudly presented me with an outstanding collage of schoolday images. And he 'drew' the school's name in Bubble letters, lol...

I hope he's still believing!

a reply to: TrueBrit

Looks okay that, flows, leans nicely, some attractive loops. I bet there's some interesting content in those too... PDF them and upload them!

I hope you see the funny side:

...with some running on to ten pages long

This I can believe TrueBrit!