Does doodling make you smarter?
Doodling is a way of passing the time when bored by a lecture or telephone call. Does it improve or hinder attention to the primary task? To answer this question, 40 participants monitored a monotonous mock telephone message for the names of people coming to a party. Half of the group was randomly assigned to a doodling condition where they shaded printed shapes while listening to the telephone call. The doodling group performed better on the monitoring task and recalled 29% more information on a surprise memory test. Unlike many dual task situations, doodling while working can be beneficial. Future research could test whether doodling aids cognitive performance by reducing daydreaming.
Source: "What does doodling do?" from Applied Cognitive Psychology, Volume 24 Issue 1, Pages 100 - 106
The other day I said "Take that, mom" when I posted about how making your bed might be unhealthy. Well, now I post this and play my trump card against every one of my elementary school teachers. (Have no illusions; just like all of you, I thrive on petty vengeance.)
Like most kids I grew up being told to do my homework and stop distracting myself with movies and video games. Well, so far my entire adult life has consisted of making movies and video games. You can find me sitting by the mailbox today, impatiently waiting for that apology to arrive. ;)
If you're curious, right now I'm addicted to this game, I'm reading this book and this movie is next.
Related posts:
Do More Intelligent, More Dependable Children Live Longer?
Are extraverts smarter than introverts?
Is your dog among the smartest breeds?
Do Smart Investors Outperform Dumb Investors?
Why Your Intelligence and Attractiveness Elude You
The Right Way To Praise Your Child's Intelligence
Does a woman's emotional intelligence affect her ability to orgasm?
You should follow me on Twitter here or subscribe to this blog's feed. If you're a regular reader please support the blog by doing your book and movie shopping at the store. You'll find all my recommendations there. Here are the site's most popular posts of all time.
