Doodling can boost memory retention by up to 29%, according to a study by Jackie Andrade. However, the study was small and further research is needed to confirm the findings. Doodling during meetings or lessons may improve concentration and material retention, but more focused activities may have the opposite effect. National Doodle Day is a charity event that raises awareness of epilepsy and neurofibromatosis.
In early 2009, those people who consistently scribbled in meetings, while on the phone, or in class could collectively say “I told you so,” a study was published in the journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology. The study, led by Jackie Andrade, looked at whether doodling could actually boost memory or cognition. Although this study used a small sample group of just 40 participants, headlines from around the world extolled the memory-saving benefits of doodling.
What Andrade’s study found was that people allowed to doodle while listening to phone calls had about 29 percent higher memory retention than those in a “no-doodling” control group. Since the study’s publication, the findings have been used to suggest that doodling during lessons or meetings could improve concentration and increase material retention. While the study didn’t test this theory, Andrade believes that more focused activities like drawing something on purpose with a lot of focus or texting would likely have the opposite effect and lead to lower retention of the material.
There are some analyzes of Andrade’s study that don’t automatically jump on the “scribble” bandwagon. For example, it was pointed out that the sample size was small and that the study would require replication to see if the results are indeed proven. Another thing that wasn’t tested was the degree to which random drawing could be combined with daydreaming and whether people who daydreamed suffered from a greater or lesser ability to concentrate or remember. For those naysayers, scribbling can be seen as not necessarily bad for memory, but also not necessarily of much benefit. However, many who habitually sketch or draw aimlessly during boring lessons feel quite justified in keeping up with the practice.
There are similar studies showing that certain things can help improve concentration and memory. Research in 2007 suggests that students who chew gum during tests actually improve their test scores by about 5%. For teachers who monitor complete concentration and allow neither chewing gum nor scribbling, they could actually reduce their students’ ability to perform, although it is still difficult to extract these conclusions from a few studies.
There is a way that doodling can definitely improve memory of a certain type. At the end of February every year, there is National Doodle Day. It is a charity event aimed at shedding light on the difficult diseases of epilepsy and neurofibromatosis. Many celebrities compose doodles on this day, which are then printed and sold as various media to raise funds for awareness of these diseases and to directly help those suffering from them. Individuals and groups can also participate and the most popular doodles are chosen to be reprinted. In this regard, maintaining memory through random drawings of devastating diseases has a very important purpose.
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