Study Shows Doodling Improves Ability to Recall Information

Guilty as charged! I have always been an obsessive doodler. Whether in school, a business meeting, on the phone or simply watching television I have been known to have a pen in hand. Most doodles ended up in the trash, some inspired art work, and others just simply annoyed others around me.

I have noticed that my daughter has embraced this habit as well. She tends to doodling all the time. The margins of her homework are decorated with names, shapes, and abstract designs. I have wondered if this is getting in the way of her studies, but after a recent study, I am reassured that her habit is not inhibiting her ability to pay attention in class.

The study revealed that when you doodle you tend to recall almost 30% more than your counter-parts that are paying attention. This interesting study by Jackie Andrade, Psychologist, of the University of Plymouth will be published in the journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology.

It seems that doodling seems to occupy a part of the brain that doesn’t inhibit your ability to pay attention. However, if you day dream it seems to activate much more brain activity than doodling. For instance, if you start to day dream about what you are going to make for dinner, this simple thought turns into what groceries you have at home, which turns into a mental list of what you need to pick up from the store, which turns into another thought that turns into another and another and another. This thought process seems to take up more brain power than doodling causing you to lose the ability to recall what was going on in the presentation.

I was excited to hear about this study. As an Art Therapist I have always looked at doodling as more than an annoying habit. I have utilized ‘doodle journals’ with former clients and my children to process their emotions and to develop fine-motor skills. Now it seems that children with pictures in the margins of their work are capable of hearing information and better able to recall it later. So, it seems that the craft of doodling actually aids your child in improved academia.