How magazine - In Praise Of Doodling

I have a reputation as an unrepentant doodler. I doodle my way through every meeting and every long phone call. Many of the designers I know share this habit. Well, turns out, doodling actually aids memory.

In a delightful new study, which will be published in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology, psychologist Jackie Andrade of the University of Plymouth in southern England showed that doodlers actually remember more than nondoodlers when asked to retain tediously delivered information, like, say, during a boring meeting or a lecture.

Posted by Megan

Thought Provoking

Wednesday, March 04, 2009 1:33:12 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

Comments [2]

Wednesday, March 04, 2009 6:01:31 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

Ha. That's me exactly.

So much for providing "undivided attention."

Liz Vernon

Thursday, March 05, 2009 2:42:07 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

I knew it! I only wish I'd had this study to vindicate my doodling habits in school.

Conversely, I also find that I can concentrate better on the more tedious parts of a painting if I'm listening to something interesting. I'm sure in both cases it is a question of using just enough of the brain to prevent full-out daydreaming. (I still confess to daydreaming a little too!)

Curious Art

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