In a digital age where handwriting has become less prevalent, the art of handwriting has been lost. People put notes on Google Docs, type up emails and print out essays instead of handwriting them to convey their message. This lack of practicing handwriting is an issue since it negatively impacts levels of thought when handwriting is required and leaves an unpleasant impression, negatively impacting the substance of the writing.
The importance of practicing handwriting mainly lies in the negative impacts on the quality of content if it is not practiced. The point of writing is to convey a clear message, but a lack of practicing handwriting will inevitably lead to difficulties writing legibly, causing the writer to spend more time and focus on the handwriting itself rather than the quality of content. In this scenario, writing becomes a cognitive task, and since it is impossible to focus on two cognitive tasks at once, the brain will be switching between concentrating on the quality of handwriting and the quality of content. In the end, neither will be up to par. However, if handwriting becomes an automatic task, not a cognitive task, then all cognitive power can be directed to the quality of content, leading to a higher quality of thought. According to Shaturaev, the head of the International Joint Degree Program at Tashkent State University, a study showed that after an 8-week orthographic motor integration intervention, which helped students increase the automaticity of their writing, the quality of text increased by 46% compared to the control group. This study shows as the act of writing becomes more automatic, more cognitive power is able to be used on the content itself, leading to higher-quality writing. The potential negative impacts of the lack of practicing handwriting shouldn’t sway writers away from handwriting as handwriting is still preferable compared to typing. According to Michael Russell, a professor at Boston College, graders graded the same exact essay 1.3 points lower when typed because of handwritten essays. The graders believe that the written essay requires more effort, thus awarding more points for written works, regardless of the quality of handwriting. Handwritten works allow the reader to feel more connected with the writer, engaging them more when reading.
Practicing handwriting also formulates better impressions. People are naturally biased towards clear handwriting, affecting how the message of the writing is conveyed. According to a study conducted by Steve Graham, Karen Harris and Michael Hebert, people rated the exact same paper worse when handwriting became difficult to read. Once handwriting is practiced and automated, the quality of content and legibility of writing will increase, leading to better reception of the text.
The intimacy created by handwriting is irreplicable as well. When writing a loved one a card, it is the norm to hand write it to make the writing more relatable. Having legible handwriting is essential as it shows the effort put in to create the card or letter. This translates to academic writing as handwritten works are favored by teachers as well, especially when written clearly.
As the world becomes heavily reliant on digital technology and moves away from using pen and paper to write, some people wonder why we even need handwriting. Handwriting still has many benefits even when typing may be faster. According to Van Der Meer, a professor at NTNU, information retention increases when handwriting is compared to typing due to higher levels of brain activation. Handwriting prevents students from copying the lecture down word-for-word and forces them to process the information leading to an increase in information retention. This is shown in a study conducted by Clearvue Health in which it was found that students who took notes by hand performed higher on exams compared to students who typed.
Handwriting remains important in a digitized world, and although pen-and-paper seems to be going extinct, the power of writing goes beyond just efficiency.
