28 October 2010

How Drawing Boosts Your Brain

 How Handwriting Boosts the Brain - WSJ

OK, This article is about how handwriting boosts the brain, but one could easily apply the same for hand drawing. There is a clear cognitive link between the hand and the brain that is activated by drawing/writing. Interfacing with a computer through a keyboard or mouse does not tap into that cognitive link. This is not to say that one should supplant the other, but it does suggest that our digital visual communication may be enhanced by better spatial understanding gained through hand drawing.

1 comment:

gregory said...

this article was really interesting. "He cites several studies indicating that good handwriting can take a generic classroom test score from the 50th percentile to the 84th percentile, while bad penmanship could tank it to the 16th." i wonder what affect bad quality drawings would have verse artistic ones. Also, the article talks about children using ipads to practice writing and them sill having the cognative connection, so i think design can catch up digitally by using technology that makes us move.