Study Reveals the Advantages of Taking Notes by Hand

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Is it better to write on paper or digital devices? A group of scientists set about determining if taking notes by hand is better than doing it digitally.

Study Reveals the Advantages of Taking Notes by Hand
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Reading time 3 minutes
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Frontiers in Neuroscience published the findings of a study on the differences between writing by hand or digitally recording notes and the correlations with brain activation and memory.

Is it better to write on paper or use digital devices? Which of the two formats works best for learning or memorizing information? Taking notes or writing using mobile devices or computers has become increasingly common. However, many researchers have found that taking notes by hand is a more effective way to learn and retain information than digital.

A behavioral neuroscience study conducted by researchers at the University of California and Princeton University published in 2014 showed that students who take notes by hand perform better with conceptual questions than students who record notes on digital devices. According to the study, one explanation for this exciting discovery is that writing with pencil and paper allows people to summarize and organize information in their own words and ensures more profound and natural coding. In contrast, the use of electronic devices inclines them to write passively.

Similarly, several studies have reported that although writing on a computer saves time because it is a faster process, taking notes by hand improves students’ memorization and word recognition. One of the advantages of handwritten notes is that reading and writing on paper improves conceptual understanding. Another human behavioral reported the superiority of paper to computer screens in reading comprehension.

These studies indicate the importance of visual and tactile signals for perceiving physical sizes and spatial locations. Paper material provides physical spacing through Spatial-temporal signals to measure the text. Another group of researchers from the University of Tokyo made the following hypothesis in an article published this year in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience: Writing notes in a notebook will improve coding. More specifically, the use of paper improves associating what and where of information, specifically in the hippocampus (the part of the brain involved in coding and memory retention that can be studied at a neurological level).

The researchers performed a comparative study of three groups of people who would perform the same task to analyze this phenomenon. First, different people were asked to schedule various tasks on a calendar; some would write with a pen in a physical notebook, others would use a tablet, and the last group a smartphone. Subsequently, people underwent memory tests where they were asked questions about what they had to schedule. Also, in other external trials, they were told a story and asked questions; they were asked to observe letters of the Chinese alphabet and then repeat them. The results were analyzed in conjunction with several medical studies conducted during the tests, which included MRIs. Finally, the results of the groups were compared. The findings of this study were published under the title Paper Notebooks vs. Mobile Devices: Brain Activation Differences During Memory Retrieval, in which the following was found:

  1. Tablet: The Tablet users were slower in recording tasks in the calendar than those who wrote physical notes on paper. This could have been due to the slow typing of characters.

  2. Smartphone: Users who performed the test with smartphones took the same amount of time as the tablet users.

  3. Physical notes: The scheduling of tasks per written notes was the fastest of the three groups. They were more accurate, and their answers to questions more direct. Although all the groups managed to activate the hippocampus, the handwriting group displayed the most responsive brain activity when carrying out the task.

As mentioned above, all three groups managed to activate the hippocampus. Therefore, they managed to activate the part of the brain responsible for the retention and encoding of verbalized memory. So, all three methods had memory retention results, but the most effective was taking notes by hand on paper.

For notetaking, I considered it appropriate to test the hypothesis of the Japanese scientists and changed my research method. This time, instead of reading the article on my laptop screen and making notes in a Word document, I decided to print the reading and take the time to underline the salient points with a highlighter and write in a notebook. As a result, I found that the working time was reduced, and I had a quicker understanding of the text. Furthermore, I managed to organize the information in a more visual and personalized way. For example, in a Word document, I limit myself simply to typing. However, in the notebook, I drew diagrams with arrows, pictures, and annotations, making the note-taking more dynamic and visual.

Considering the above, I invite you to try these methods from time to time, as previous research has shown it can bring positive cognitive effects. In addition, we benefit from subtracting screen time from our day, improving our concentration and time management.

Translation by Daniel Wetta.

Fernanda Ibañez

This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0