Why Is Calligraphy So Good for Your Brain?

Discover why writing by hand with pen and paper can be extremely beneficial

Ever thought of what writing by hand entails? The brain and bodily processes involved in this activity are phenomenal.

The first step is to stop and focus, feel, and invoke one’s memory. Then comes planning the idea to convey to the reader by connecting with one’s intentions and emotions. Then, again, we need to build a grammatical structure from our semantic word stock. Finally, we select the graphic signs and sequence of movements that correspond to each letter so that our hand can put it together.

Writing may seem like quite a tiring process, but all the benefits this exercise brings to our body, heart, and mind make it worth repeating over and over again. On International Day Of Handwriting, we spoke to Alejandra Marcos, an educational psychologist specializing in cognitive neuropsychology, and calligraphy teacher Bego Viñuela Galarraga (@caligrafiabilbao). They helped us to better understand what goes on in our brain and heart when we write by hand.

1. Writing by hand stimulates more areas of your brain than typing

There is a lot more going on in your brain when you use pen and paper than when you use a keyboard. In other words, more areas of our brain are activated when we write by hand. These are areas relative to rationality and cognition, as well as to emotions and body memory.

2. Writing by hand gives you more control over your body

The way movement is involved in the act of handwriting is particularly interesting. The tension created by our body as it gets into position is followed by the need to put in place fine motor skills. The brain and the body join together to master all the hand, wrist, and fingers' little movements.

3. Writing by hand improves your neurological connections

Some neurological circuits do not activate when we type with a keyboard. When we write by hand, instead, this activity is constant. "Writing by hand is a sort of mental exercise that strengthens specific neurological connections," claims Alejandra Marcos.

4. Writing by hand helps you understand better

If you reach out for a book and a pen when you try to work something out, you are doing the right thing. "By having to use our hand to hold the pencil and telling ourselves what to write, we stimulate, unknowingly, our reticular activating system. This system prompts the brain to process the information," explains the educational psychologist. This is why writing by hand is one of the most effective studying techniques: a mental exercise that improves learning.

5. Writing by hand helps retain the information

The movements we make when we write by hand leave an impression in the area of our brain charged with processing motor-sensory information. According to Alejandra, this helps to create a memory footprint of the action in the brain. Our memory is improved because we feel ownership of it.

If the art of writing by hand is in itself interesting and therapeutic, calligraphy takes this skill to the next level. It seeks to make writing beautiful, artistic, and stylish. Calligraphy as an art form also brings its benefits.

6. Calligraphy is a sensory act

Such as the definition given by calligrapher Bego Viñuela, who teaches the Domestika courses English Calligraphy from A to Z and Italic Script with a Brush Pen. With a Master's Degree in typography and Fine Arts studies, Bego focuses on this art's sensitive side. "When I write, I disconnect, I feel calm, and I concentrate on the smell of the ink, the feel of the paper, and the magic I get from gliding the nib on the paper," she describes.

7. Calligraphy can be a ritual

Picking up a nib pen, according to Bego, has a particular ritual character. It connects us with what we feel inside of us through the materials. "I enjoy the process even from before starting to write: when I choose the text, when I think about it, and when I give it a meaning. I select the paper and the ink color that relates to this meaning, and I set out to write."

8. Calligraphy is highly expressive

Calligraphy can transmit ideas. Through a single mark—decisive, rigid, or soft—you can convey a message or emotion through the letters," she assures. According to her vision, this is her favorite side of her job. "Calligraphy is emotion. There are several ways to express an idea as there are materials and surfaces. A splattered brushstroke with lots of ink is not the same as a delicate and mindful line made with a nib pen", she observes.

9. Calligraphy is emotional

"Our emotions, ideas, and thoughts travel from our head, move through the arm, and reach our fingers. It is an involuntary action, as we write almost without knowing what we are doing. It's our most direct way of communicating, and not everything can be done with a keyboard", she concurs. In the instance of communicating with others, she also highlights the importance of the writer taking time to do so. "The idea that someone stopped what they were doing to write to you, took care of every detail, and made an effort to be legible is remarkable. I always use the same example: can you compare it to an 'I love you' message written on the computer?".

10. Calligraphy is an excellent tool for other art forms

The teacher reminds us that calligraphy proficiency is an important asset to artists of other disciplines: designers, illustrators, tattoo artists, to name a few, can all benefit from handwriting skills. Suppose you were toying with the idea of turning off your computer and getting into writing in a beautiful notebook or even sign up for a calligraphy course. In that case, we hope the information we provided will help you make that decision.

English version by @acesarato

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