Writing texts, especially by hand, improves the functioning of the brain, intelligence, and memory, helping to solve problems and find new ideas. This article will tell you why writing is so useful and how to get all these benefits.
How do you feel after a couple of hours spent writing texts, articles, or a new chapter? If you feel relaxed, full of energy, or even more inspired than at the beginning, you are not alone. Many people claim that writing affects the way they feel, think and look at different things. Indeed, writing texts affects the brain much more than we think. Let’s see how.
Writing improves memory
Have you ever had the situation when you write a to-do list or a phone number, and then it turns out that you remember it perfectly well, and you do not need your notes when calling someone or doing something? This is not a coincidence. When you write something, you involve a group of cells in the temporal lobe, known as the reticular activating system. As a result, your brain increasingly concentrates on the information written.
Clichés stop development
Have you ever read the text, consisting almost entirely of clichés? At such times, it seems that the brain is really switched off. Well, there is some truth in it. Reading and writing clichés reduce the capacity of your brain, eliminating its stimulation by visual elements and metaphors. So try to avoid clichés when writing.
Keeping a diary improves health
Many of us keep a diary to record everything that has happened during the day, drop their emotions and feelings on paper and keep the ideas for the future. We know that keeping a diary helps to quickly cope with the unpleasant events and overcome stress and disappointment, but actually, the benefits of a diary are much greater.
Researchers from the University of Texas found that keeping a diary enhances the production of T-lymphocytes. These immune cells help the body fight infections.
There is also scientific evidence that keeping a diary develops the left hemisphere of the brain. Okay, but what about the right hemisphere that is responsible for creativity? When the left hemisphere is busy with work, the right hemisphere is activated and does something creative.
The effect writing produces on intelligence
How can we talk about writing and the brain without mentioning that this activity makes you smarter? Writing texts increases the clarity of mind much better than verbal communication.
Writing texts and essays on any topic requires a better understanding of the issue than talking about it. Before you write something, you need to think, organize thoughts and only then turn the carefully processed information into a text.
If you are a writer, you probably have an impressive vocabulary. You can thank your fate for this occupation. In the process of writing, we begin to notice that some words and phrases are used in our texts again and again. We understand that it will be boring not only for our readers but also for ourselves. And it makes us look for new words and expressions.
Remove the keyboard
How many notebooks and albums are there on your desk right now? How many pens and pencils do you have there? If you keep a lot of them, you must be a fan of stationery.
And this is very good. The physical act of writing – writing on paper with a pen – activates your brain in three different ways. You use fine motor skills to take a pen and write, your brain works, recognizing the lines and shapes that create each letter, and you are aware of every word, formed in the brain.
So if you cannot go past the department of office supplies, do not worry. Your attachment to handwriting will give you much more than your friends, who have forgotten what a pen looks like.
Write to improve your ability to write texts
Everyone knows that reading increases the vocabulary and helps to improve your writing style. This is truly so, but still, the best thing that a person can do to improve the skill of writing is to write as often as possible. The reason is simple.
The emergence of an idea makes you write, and writing stimulates the emergence of ideas.
Think about this. How often do you get ideas for new texts and works while working on the old ones? Ideas do not always refer to the project you are working on right now, but the process of writing stimulates the brain, which gives rise to a variety of ideas.
Is there a problem? Write about it
To solve the problem, it is necessary to understand it, to investigate the details and find a solution. What could be more useful in this case than writing about it?
Describing the problem on paper helps you fully understand what you are dealing with. A lot of notes help explore the details of the problem.
Finally, is there a better way to find a solution than recording the results of brainstorming and seeing all the ideas on paper in front of you?
Moreover, solving problems through writing, you not only increase your chances of finding a solution at the moment but also develop your ability to solve problems in future.
Do you use writing to concentrate, to solve problems, and to find fresh ideas?
