Post: #1

A friend is a forensics document examiner and had sent me this article on the importance of handwriting.

A lot of us grew up learning cursive and printing as part of the curriculum in schools, but now with computers and technology to make things easier it can be detrimental on our brains, especially with children. Its a very interesting read.

TL/DR: Handwriting and cursive activates more parts of your brain which helps with creativity, learning, and motor skills.

Post: #2

(06-09-2014 03:57 PM)Snowplow Wrote:  A member of my family is a forensics document examiner and had sent me this article on the importance of handwriting.

A lot of us grew up learning cursive and printing as part of the curriculum in schools, but now with computers and technology to make things easier it can be detrimental on our brains, especially with children. Its a very interesting read.

TL/DR: Handwriting and cursive activates more parts of your brain which helps with creativity, learning, and motor skills.

People do seem to have worse hand-writing. I've got terrible handwriting compared to what it used to be.

Wald

Post: #3

I guess that explains why I've always felt more creative when writing essays compared to typing it...

Post: #4

Good read...but more importantly, how can we improve our handwriting? Mine is garbage and it pains me to write too much.

Post: #5

(06-09-2014 04:28 PM)redbeard Wrote:  Good read...but more importantly, how can we improve our handwriting? Mine is garbage and it pains me to write too much.

Write a lot.

Practicing writing out the individual letters of the alphabet.

Write the letter "A" uppercase ten times. Lowercase ten times. Then move on to "B".

Do once this everyday.

Wald

Post: #6

Practice. My cursive is crap but handwriting is impeccable. So I need to practice cursive again. I do it when writing a daily journal. Its only yours to see and girls probably forgot it too since they are so addicted to their phones.

Post: #7

It's odd that China and Japan, with their pictographic writing, have had significant innovations and economic growth.
Just a thought.

Post: #8

Frank Lloyd Wright's handwriting (cursive) is pretty much crap so I dunno about the creativity thing. Or am I missing something?



As for myself, I barely pick up a pen for anything anymore so writing anything may be a challenge. lolzzz

Seriously, I do agree that I am much more creative when writing versus typing something out here. In the past I would actually write things out then type it into the puter.

Post: #9

Calligraphy has always been seen as one of the major art forms in both East Asian and Islamic civilizations.

Post: #10

Its not so much how well its done but the fact you are doing it. It makes your brain use more parts in a sense, remembering the letter, how to make it and in cursive how to connect. Typing is just remembering the location on the keyboard

Post: #11

There is also just the lack of utility of it. I don't know how fast I can type, but it's fast enough that my mother, who spent a large part of her life working as a typist, remarked to me earlier this year when she watched me typing that I could get a job working at her old job. When I type, my fingers can keep up with my mind. When I write it's like trying to swim with weights tied to my feet.

Post: #12

i look forward to writing Cyrillic in cursive one day

Post: #13

Sometimes on dates I'll analyze the girl's handwriting. It's the difference between cold-reading because they are not just being told their personality, but also WHY you could tell from their handwriting. The LOVE it.

Graphology, or the science of handwriting analysis, is something of a pseudo-science although the FBI and many other reputable agencies have employed professional graphologists in the past.

A good book to check out if you're interested in learning how this stuff works is Handwriting Analysis: Putting It To Work For You http://www.amazon.com/Handwriting-Analys...graphology

Post: #14

If you want to improve your handwriting I'd suggest picking up either a fountain pen or a japanese brush pen ("fude") - they are smoother but less forgiving, so highlight any weaknesses.

(06-11-2014 09:07 AM)Checkmat Wrote:  Sometimes on dates I'll analyze the girl's handwriting. It's the difference between cold-reading because they are not just being told their personality, but also WHY you could tell from their handwriting. The LOVE it.

Graphology, or the science of handwriting analysis, is something of a pseudo-science although the FBI and many other reputable agencies have employed professional graphologists in the past.

A good book to check out if you're interested in learning how this stuff works is Handwriting Analysis: Putting It To Work For You http://www.amazon.com/Handwriting-Analys...graphology

Graphology is basic cold reading pretending to be an analytical skill. The books are handy to learn some terminology, but making it up on the spot is just as effective. It feels more personal because it's allegedly based on something they've given to you, just like horoscopes.

"The way these loops cross the stems, this indicates someone who is open to the world, but occasionally guarded"

"yes, and the dots on the "i"s are forceful, showing a personal confidence and self-reliance"

"I'd hate myself if I had that kind of attitude, if I were that weak." - Arnold

Post: #15

My 8th grade teacher told me my handwriting looks like a retarded chicken stepped into a puddle of ink and ran on a piece of paper. It's that good.

Post: #16

I used to make a lot of hand written notes for whatever I was working on, but now I always type those notes on a computer. My handwriting was always pretty messy, but now it's become complete chicken scratch. I have no penmanship at all. It's like that area of coordination has completely atrophied from lack of practice.

Post: #17

Now imagine his opinion on typing.

Similarly, my friends who went to public and private school don't know basic shit, and when I ask why not they shrug and say, "Google exists."

Post: #18

This makes a lot of sense to me. That's partially why whenever I do any writing assignment I always start off with a pen and paper. It's nice to see my little ritual is vindicated by science.

Post: #19

This is definitely true for me. I got in the habit of writing out my thinking for school assignments and work tasks, and now I'm dependent on it. If I have to think out an issue with more than trivial complexity, I have to write it out to organize my thoughts. If I try to think it through in my head, I jump around and get distracted, and can't think things through systematically.

Post: #20

Alot of creative writers tell me that "the words feed back" - the physical act of writing feeds up the arm to the brain and then back down.

The best phrasings they have ever done were foreshadowed by similar words they had written in previous paragraphs that fed up their arm and then came back down in the form of similar words and some of their best work.

On their workshops some of them forbid the use of devices.

Post: #21

If anyone else were to leaf through my work pad, they would think I am insane.

Multiple copies of essentially the same lists and goals written with my fountain pen.

Post: #22

(05-17-2018 12:15 AM)Saweeep Wrote:  If anyone else were to leaf through my work pad, they would think I am insane.

Multiple copies of essentially the same lists and goals written with my fountain pen.

I could easily say the same. If someone picked up my notepad, I'd be locked away. So much to the extent that I, myself, can look at some of the things I jotted down just a week ago and it's complete gibberish. I guess it was important at the time, so I wrote it down, but looking back at it, it's a mess of numbers and names that is completely nonsensical.

Post: #23

Thankfully I had plenty of opportunity to practice my handwriting at work until recently, when we started going paperless. Still, before that I was able to see the handwriting of my co-workers and all the men had atrocious, small chicken scratch that looked like it came from a mental ward. No small coincidence that they're all soyboys.

Post: #24

(05-17-2018 12:48 AM)Super_Fire Wrote:  Thankfully I had plenty of opportunity to practice my handwriting at work until recently, when we started going paperless. Still, before that I was able to see the handwriting of my co-workers and all the men had atrocious, small chicken scratch that looked like it came from a mental ward. No small coincidence that they're all soyboys.

If their handwriting was for public consumption then it's fair to judge them on it.

If it wasn't, perhaps you're being harsh.

My personal notes are indecipherable, my "for other's consumption" is beautiful. Makes a difference.

Post: #25

(05-17-2018 01:04 AM)Saweeep Wrote:  

(05-17-2018 12:48 AM)Super_Fire Wrote:  Thankfully I had plenty of opportunity to practice my handwriting at work until recently, when we started going paperless. Still, before that I was able to see the handwriting of my co-workers and all the men had atrocious, small chicken scratch that looked like it came from a mental ward. No small coincidence that they're all soyboys.

If their handwriting was for public consumption then it's fair to judge them on it.

If it wasn't, perhaps you're being harsh.

My personal notes are indecipherable, my "for other's consumption" is beautiful. Makes a difference.

Semi-public consumption; it wasn't their personal notes, but official copy proofing that was meant to be read and incorporated into final copy.

A man's own notes are his business; when I was a reporter my interview notes were borderline indecipherable chicken scratch as well because I was writing things down as fast as people were speaking and not on a desk or other hard surface.