Sherri May & Co.

I admit it. I do it all the time. It’s just second nature and I can remember the first time I ever did it. I was seven; saw my mom doing it while on the phone, so I tried it. Doodling. And I can also remember the first time a teacher yelled at me for it. I was 12 and Mrs. Gray said she didn’t appreciate me drawing mountaintops on the top of my notebook instead of writing down the week’s spelling words. But a new study shows those who doodle do.

The study will be published in the Applied Cognitive Psychology journal and shows the results that those who doodle during a meeting or lecture actually can recall more of the information than those who do not. There are many reasons behind this finding, but psychologist Jackie Andrade (who wrote the study) thinks it’s because doodlers don’t daydream. When you doodle, you don’t need as many cognitive resources as when you daydream, thus, you can focus more attention on the information presented. Daydreaming demands a lot of your brainpower, which is the reason you can’t recall as much information as someone who’s sitting there doodling.

Upcoming meeting on Monday? Maybe give everyone some scratch paper and then launch into your presentation. Then collect the doodles and make a doodle board. You’ll spice up those mundane presentations, get your employees to retain your information and create a little fun activity in the office.

Read Time Magazine Study

Blog by Hanna Soltys; Doodle by Aleta Lynch