Pen And Paper: Mightier Than The Laptop!

When was the last time you used a pen and paper to take notes?

Or have you replaced the old-school duo
with laptops and smartphones?

Laptops are better. Right?

Nope!

At least, Science holds that view (I do too).

Recall those days when we would use a fountain pen
or a regular ball-point pen to take down notes?

I feel those were beautiful days.

And we were even graded for our handwriting.

Good Old Days!

With our current lifestyle, I believe that
the importance of longhand is diminishing.

We have gotten used to typing on the laptop,
or simply using voice to record notes on our smartphones.

And especially in the business world, with all things going digital,
pen and paper are slowly becoming obsolete.

Gen Z, for example, loves using tech gadgets.

They are often buried into their laptops and phone.

I agree that it’s easier, faster, and more convenient
to type on a laptop or on a smartphone.

Especially when you are on the go.

But does it really help us digest information better?

As per new research, using pen and paper to take notes
helps you remember better.

Pam Mueller of Princeton University says that laptops
may still be harming academic performance.

The Study: Pen And Paper vs Laptop

In series one, 65 college students watched one of five TED Talks. 

The topics were interesting, but not common knowledge.

The participants were given laptops (no Internet)
or notebooks to take notes.

The students had to complete three distractor tasks thereafter.

These included a working memory task and a
factual-recall questionnaire based on the TED Talks.

The Results

Laptop users performed worse than students who
used notebooks, especially on the conceptual questions.

Notes on the laptops were lengthy
and more verbatim overlap of the lecture.

A week later, students were asked to review their notes.

Even then, longhand note takers
performed better than laptop note takers.

This study can especially be beneficial for kids who are
increasingly using tech devices for learning.

Using a pen and paper might actually
help us learn and memorize things better.

Do you prefer taking notes on your tech device?

Or, do you still do the old school way?

Leave us your comments below.