Handwriting's surprising link to well-being

And how handwriting has changed in Singapore

- Akshita Nanda

When was the last time you wrote a memo by hand or sent a handwritten letter? Does your handwriting still matter in today's digital world?

Ms Michelle Lee, 38, thinks it does. The principal of an early childhood education centre writes notes by hand at work. She finds expressing her thoughts on paper easier than typing on a phone or laptop.

"Sometimes, you need to write or draw to express certain things, and it's more convenient to write by hand than take a laptop around," she says. "The phone is too small, you can't really see anything."

Ms Anshika Karri, 19, does most of her schoolwork on her laptop, but writes bullet points by hand when revising for examinations.

"Typing doesn't help me retain information," says Ms Karri, who is doing a bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of Bristol in England.

The teenager also keeps a "happiness journal", where she writes about things that make her smile and decorates pages with drawings. She also saves the birthday cards and handwritten notes she has received over the years.

Fewer people today may write diaries by hand or even send handwritten birthday cards, but research finds that writing by hand improves well-being.

Experts also say that writing by hand develops and maintains thinking skills. Writing by hand also seems better for learning and memory than typing.

What role does handwriting play in a time when pre-emptive text and artificial intelligence (AI) take away the effort required to shape and write one's thoughts?

To find out, a team from The Straits Times spoke to people who teach handwriting, penmanship and calligraphy. We also analysed the handwriting of 90 people from different age groups to understand attitudes towards handwriting, and the differences in writing styles today (see graphic on C2).

Here is what we found.

WRITING STYLES HAVE CHANGED OVER THE YEARS