Computers dominate our lives nowadays. Making a grocery list? You’ll do this quickly on your smartphone. Taking notes from today’s meeting? Let me get my laptop! We live in the modern era. In the last couple of years, there were so many changes. Not only in our lives, but also in the way we live our lives. We use digital devices for almost everything. Therefore, we almost seem to forget the old ways things were done—when we just sat down and made a grocery list with a piece of paper and our favorite pen. The digital era is great, that’s for sure. But mastery of penmanship brings a lot more benefits. Here’s why handwriting remains better than typing.
The downfall of handwritten letters
When was the last time you wrote a letter by hand? When you really took the time to put your favorite parker fountain pen to paper and wrote down letters yourself? Many of us can’t remember a time when they did this. Nowadays, it’s very easy to just write an e-mail, send a text or even a postcard to your loved ones. There’s no need to take a pen and a piece of paper (or card) yourself. So why would you?
On a personal level, we find it very important that people write more often—especially to loved ones. Getting a handwritten letter or postcard just feels a little bit extra. When your loved one really has taken the time to write you their own letter, the message will be much clearer.
Therefore, experts believe that handwritten letters and postcards will remain in the future. We just need to push ourselves a little bit more. If you want to write them a quick note, you can always send this by text. But when you want to wish them a happy birthday or merry Christmas, just write them a postcard. It takes a little bit more effort (and time), but they will absolutely love it!
Cognitive benefits
What most people don’t know is that operating on a keyboard is not the same as writing at all. While operating on a keyboard, you’ll challenge your brain much less than when you’ll do the same thing but writing it down on a piece of paper. Handwriting has lots of cognitive benefits. Handwriting is a result of singular movement of the body. In order to do so, both sides of the brain need to work harmoniously.
When operating a keyboard, this isn’t necessary. You only need to put your finger on the right key and there’s no room for extra creativity. When writing with your Cross pens, you’ll be able to scribble some little notes in the corners of the pages or cross out some words. There’s time for your brain to process things and think more outside the box. While typing, these cognitive processes aren’t there. When you want to think more creatively, for example during a brainstorm session, it can be very beneficial to put electronic devices to the side and just start writing.
Photo by Scott Graham
