Handwritten Journals: Ancient Wisdom & Modern Science Behind Writing By Hand
Writing is one of those things that we have had from the ancient times in this age. The oldest records of handwriting go thousands of years back; this shows writing has been important to ancient human civilizations.
Most of the texts we have today are in the form of writing. Writing has been one of the most important tools for transferring knowledge from one generation to another in our known history.
Handwritten journals like Marcus Aurelius's Meditations gave us the concept of stoicism, which has become the guiding philosophy for leaders, thinkers, and seekers across centuries.
The diary of Anne Frank has become the voice of the voiceless, a living reminder of hope and the human soul in the face of unimaginable darkness, and the journals of Virginia Woolf show the brilliance of how creative our mind can be, even in vulnerability lies the power to transform pain into art and clarity.
This belief isn’t only about personal journals, the same truth applies to the sacred texts. Our sacred religious scriptures were all first handwritten; they were preserved and carried across generations by those who knew their importance.
From the Vedas, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and the Bible to the Quran and countless other spiritual texts. This shows us the importance of handwriting not just as a record but also for expression, creation, and survival.
So when it comes to journaling, in this digital age there has always been confusion when someone starts journaling about whether we should write our thoughts in digital format or keep a handwritten journal because most of us want to use it to express our untreated and unresolved thoughts.
In my personal experience, when I write with my hands, I feel more relieved than when I try a digital journal (typing). I never used to like writing, let alone writing a journal, but then my therapist recommended journaling my thoughts. So I tried a handwritten journal; it really felt very therapeutic, like puking your thoughts out, it felt like an emotional release.
I have tried writing my thoughts before in digital form, but personally I never felt that much connection when I looked back at them compared to my handwritten journal. It is said that our words have vibrations, and our thoughts have vibrations. I believe that our handwriting also have vibrations because whenever we look at our old notebooks from years ago, even if we look at our kindergarten books or high school notebooks, you can feel the connection, not to mention the emotions also, which cannot be said for digital journals (typing).
Writing with your hand has actually proven scientific benefits. There are lots of studies that have been conducted where scientists have shown that writing with your own hand has neurological benefits and other benefits, such as:
Neurological benefits: A study about handwriting vs typing shows that handwriting engages a broader network of motor, sensory, and linguistic brain regions (increased brain connectivity), whereas typing produces repetitive movements and stimulates far fewer brain areas.
Increased creativity: When we write by hand, it slows the pace, which encourages deeper thinking and creativity, facilitating better memory formation and conceptual understanding, whereas typing tends to favor speed and shallow processing.
Mindfulness: When we write, we often slow down; it helps us to bring ourselves back to the present moment and be present, which increases calmness and reduces anxiety and stress. It can result in better self-reflection, which results in better clarification of thoughts and emotions.
Memory: A study shows that participants who learned foreign words by handwriting were able to remember more than those who typed.
Less distraction: If we use handwriting journals, we have very little chance of getting distracted from notifications and social media and have a better chance of clear thoughts.
Privacy/security: When you keep a physical journal, there is very little chance of someone else accidentally looking into it or of losing your journal accidentally to any virus.
Reference
Marano, G., Kotzalidis, G. D., Lisci, F. M., Anesini, M. B., Rossi, S., Barbonetti, S., Cangini, A., Ronsisvalle, A., Artuso, L., Falsini, C., Caso, R., Mandracchia, G., Brisi, C., Traversi, G., Mazza, O., Pola, R., Sani, G., Mercuri, E. M., Gaetani, E., & Mazza, M. (2025). The Neuroscience Behind Writing: Handwriting vs. Typing-Who Wins the Battle?. Life (Basel, Switzerland), 15(3), 345. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15030345.
Van Der Weel, F. R., & Van Der Meer, A. L. H. (2024). Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity: a high-density EEG study with implications for the classroom. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945.
Ihara, A. S., Nakajima, K., Kake, A., Ishimaru, K., Osugi, K., & Naruse, Y. (2021). Advantage of handwriting over typing on learning words: evidence from an N400 Event-Related Potential Index. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2021.679191.