Writing by hand is good for your brain

treetalker

dupe of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49004202

vivzkestrel

- coding without an LLM is also good for your brain - whose gonna tell it to em? - dont worry, the long term studies are going to pick this up big time 5 years from now

kstenerud

> I’m not an expert on how the brain works, but I can say that, Aaaaaand time to tune out.

erickhill

This is why I use a reMarkable tablet for my notes. I noticed a few years ago that when I wrote down my notes I actually remembered them more easily. Something about the hand/brain connection helped etch my thoughts more deeply. I still use Apple Notes, but more as a place to store copy/paste info I want to save or checklists. But for meeting or game design notes? Writing those down 100%.

malomalsky

I like handwriting, but it struggles when you need to copy it in your obsidian

tiahura

Remember when serious debugging meant at least an inch of greenbar?

world2vec

Always boggles my mind that some people can't write cursive. So you write each letter one by one?

losvedir

Wow, I can't believe Neal Stephenson of all people writes exclusively by hand. His books are tomes . I totally buy that this is the case for him. I wonder how much is just what he's used to vs what's actually better. I feel like I write so slow compared to how fast I type that I struggle to put the words together on the paper. I can spurt out something with a keyboard 10x as fast, and then re-review and re-organize and all that.

clivestaples

I taught Gore Vidal how to use a computer in 1995. After a week worth of trying to use a PowerBook Duo, he went back to pen and paper. When asked how to improve my writing, he said use a pen and transcribe your favorite author. That I would eventually find the rhythm and style and make it my own.

timvdalen

I mean, I love writing with fountain pen and I do it every day, but I have _read_ Anathem.

postalcoder

A corollary to this is, when reading books, mark them up! Don’t be precious with them. Destroy the spine so it’s easier to read, fold pages, write the important stuff inside the front cover of the book. Cross out stuff you disagree with, draw a big circles around the stuff that resonates. Not only does it make consumption a lot more engaging, it makes a revisit of that book extremely rewarding. Don’t get caught up trying to figure out the right notation or highlighter color for a line. Just mark them up and later it’ll make sense. Edit: I think the broader point that some of you may be missing is that I’m not prescribing a particular form of notetaking. I’m saying that reading is made more rewarding with active engagement. How you best engage is up to you.

Tepix

Great advice. Didn't know Neal is left-handed. Neal, if you're reading this, will you ever visit Germany on a book signing tour?

hmokiguess

I have been thinking about that with regards to the new generation, I forget where but I saw a YouTube video interviewing Gen Alpha and how they couldn't recognize calligraphy texts. I was sad, of course, but at the same time, it made me think if their brain is just being shaped differently. Could it be that this sort of thesis "writing = good" applies to us because we belong to a generation that had our formative memories shaped through that activity? Is there something inherent to writing that makes it good or is it just a consequence because we did things that way?

enaaem

I write by hand to hack my productivity. I buy nice notebooks and nice pens that are satisfying to use. I practice my handwriting, so the finished work is satisfying to look at. I think it gives me a bit of dopamine boost.

ignu

I switched from an Obsidian fanboy to only writing by hand, and I'm never going back. It seemed preposterous to put notes in something I can't back up or "CTRL+F" search, but I've found that yes, sometimes I spend two minutes looking for a note, but when I do I generally never have to look up that information again... as opposed to things I'd search Obsidian for constantly that seemed to never get stored in my brain.

harikb

> If the pen’s ink reservoir is partly empty, so that it contains an air bubble, and if it’s positioned nib down, then, when you go up in an airplane, the bubble will expand as the ambient pressure drops, forcing ink out the nib. Once I figured that out, I got in the habit of making sure my pens were positioned nib up when taking off in an airplane. If I have time I’ll also refill the pen before departure, to minimize the size of the air bubble. Finally! this was one of those things that bothered me for many years, but not enough to spend time to research :) . Thank you!!

justinsaccount

I'm a huge fan of N.S. and what he says might be true, but I have an aversion to writing by hand after being tortured while growing up in the late 80s. I just couldn't seem to hold a pen or pencil the right way and would always fall behind following along with the rest of the class. I was forced to spend hours at home with worksheets tracing over letters. I was led to believe that if I couldn't write properly I would be a complete failure. It turns out being able to use a computer and type quickly was a more useful skill.

aledevv

> when you write things down by hand you’re recruiting more of your brain, which is a good thing . I completely agree! Perhaps it's simply for one reason: slowness . Writing by hand slows down and the brain "breathes" , calms down, and the waves of thought flow at their proper pace. We aren't made to rush always : by slowing down, our brain also has time to better process thoughts and information, one at a time, and each one is given the "time it deserves." Our brain works best when it's relaxed and has time to make all its connections. Thinking is, first and foremost, an exercise in slowness. (ps: I'm also left-handed, I wonder if this also affects the functioning of the brain...).

kettlez

I've done Julia Cameron's "morning pages" exercise off and on over the years, write three full pages of flow of consciousness by hand first thing in the morning, and it's shocking how good it is for unlocking ideas and working through problems when done consistently.

balderdash

i like writing by hand, and definitely generate better content / thoughts. I don't like going back through my writing and putting it in electronic form (an no writing on an electronic device (ipad/remarkable etc.) doesn't is not a substitute).