Doodling may enhance memory
Sarah Beg
Issue date: 10/16/09 Section: Ed-Op
Ever dawdled away an exceptionally boring time in class doodling on notebook paper, counting down the minutes until liberation from this jaded captivity? Say, that one chemistry lecture or philosophical theory of philosophy class? We've all been there.
It so happens that doodling is not a means of wasting time, or a diversion to its pen-holder in order to provide any measure of amusement. It is actually a notable demonstration of control over the use of valuable brain energy to boost memory capabilities and retaining of knowledge. Needless to say, this doesn't apply for pensive thoughts of that dreamy boy or girl from lecture or plans for a spring break vacation. Doodling may appear to be chaotic and of no real significance, but it is really an indication of vigilance. Daydreaming distracts the mind from boring tasks, but when these tasks are crucial, or require comprehension of certain subject matter, there is a likelihood that it will consequentially result in poor performance. A more laid-back and effortless task like doodling does the reverse for the human brain.
People find themselves in situations where they are gradually (or sometimes, rapidly) approaching an ultimate tedium, whether during a progressively droning lecture presentation, or a mind-numbing conference call. It is during these settings that suffering individuals are tempted to, and often succumb to, completely tuning out their surroundings. In other words, as Alix Spiegel of NPR puts it, "The brain turns to daydreams [which] take up an enormous amount of energy." As thrilling and sensational as these fantasies might feel, this energy consumption is of cost to none other than those individuals who have readily switched off their brains. What is a smart alternative to whimsically transporting to another world? Doodles.
Doodling actually inhibits the mind from wandering, promoting a balance between work and play within the mind. John Cloud of Time Magazine reported that research proves "doodling forces [the] brain to expend just enough energy to stop it from daydreaming, but not so much that [it prevents focus]." Doodling is not as demanding as daydreaming and definitely not as distracting. By allowing the brain to attentively focus on the task at hand, the act of doodling is more than a distinguishing attribute of an artist; it is an indicator of enhanced thinking and adept memory.
This offers a profound appreciation for the systematic functioning of the human brain. An activity which is inevitably criticized for being purely idle is in actuality vitally important and beneficial to brain performance, in terms of exercising the mind to store information and to comprehensively create memories. So let's be real, next time your mind begins to drift off to you-know-who-what-when-where-why-how, doodle.
Sarah Beg is a pre-junior majoring in architectural engineering. She can be reached at op-ed@thetriangle.org
It so happens that doodling is not a means of wasting time, or a diversion to its pen-holder in order to provide any measure of amusement. It is actually a notable demonstration of control over the use of valuable brain energy to boost memory capabilities and retaining of knowledge. Needless to say, this doesn't apply for pensive thoughts of that dreamy boy or girl from lecture or plans for a spring break vacation. Doodling may appear to be chaotic and of no real significance, but it is really an indication of vigilance. Daydreaming distracts the mind from boring tasks, but when these tasks are crucial, or require comprehension of certain subject matter, there is a likelihood that it will consequentially result in poor performance. A more laid-back and effortless task like doodling does the reverse for the human brain.
People find themselves in situations where they are gradually (or sometimes, rapidly) approaching an ultimate tedium, whether during a progressively droning lecture presentation, or a mind-numbing conference call. It is during these settings that suffering individuals are tempted to, and often succumb to, completely tuning out their surroundings. In other words, as Alix Spiegel of NPR puts it, "The brain turns to daydreams [which] take up an enormous amount of energy." As thrilling and sensational as these fantasies might feel, this energy consumption is of cost to none other than those individuals who have readily switched off their brains. What is a smart alternative to whimsically transporting to another world? Doodles.
Doodling actually inhibits the mind from wandering, promoting a balance between work and play within the mind. John Cloud of Time Magazine reported that research proves "doodling forces [the] brain to expend just enough energy to stop it from daydreaming, but not so much that [it prevents focus]." Doodling is not as demanding as daydreaming and definitely not as distracting. By allowing the brain to attentively focus on the task at hand, the act of doodling is more than a distinguishing attribute of an artist; it is an indicator of enhanced thinking and adept memory.
This offers a profound appreciation for the systematic functioning of the human brain. An activity which is inevitably criticized for being purely idle is in actuality vitally important and beneficial to brain performance, in terms of exercising the mind to store information and to comprehensively create memories. So let's be real, next time your mind begins to drift off to you-know-who-what-when-where-why-how, doodle.
Sarah Beg is a pre-junior majoring in architectural engineering. She can be reached at op-ed@thetriangle.org
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