Handwriting vs. Typing: Research on Retention, Comprehension, and Engagement

The English Language adopted the Latin alphabet somewhere around the 7th century CE, while the first commercial typewriter was introduced in 1874. This means that humans have been writing by hand for well over a thousand years but typing for less than two hundred. With how much the advent of typing has done to unite writing and technology, you may assume that it must be superior to writing by hand. However, recent research suggests that writing the old-fashioned way may benefit the brain more than you’d think!

Research spotlight: Much of the information discussed here is informed by findings from a literature review published in Life. You can view the open-access article here.

What Research Says about Handwriting

It doesn’t take a neuroscientist to recognize that the process of handwriting is extremely intricate, requiring precise hand-eye coordination, well-developed fine motor skills, and the ability to pull a great number of letters and symbols from memory—all while thinking of what idea to express and what words to use. The process of handwriting is often seen as tedious by adults who have already mastered it, and yet very few adults would say children should not learn to write by hand. Why is this?

The simple answer is that practicing handwriting is good for the brain. It promotes cognitive development, strengthens motor skills, and even enhances retention. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has provided insight into how handwriting achieves these benefits. Images taken of the brain while writing by hand showed activation in more areas of the brain when compared to typing. 

Writing by hand activated thirteen different areas, identified over multiple fMRI studies, while typing was identified to activate ten areas. Some of these areas—like the thalamus (which processes sensory information) and the cerebellum (which coordinates movement)—were activated during both typing and handwriting. Other key areas were only activated during handwriting.

The innately multisensory nature of handwriting seems to be the key to its huge impact on neural activity. The feeling of the hand and the pencil moving precisely across the paper provides tactile feedback, activating areas of the brain associated with sensory and motor input. Broca’s area, an area of the brain integral to language processing, is also seen to be active when writing by hand.

Research consistently shows that handwriting supports stronger retention, deeper comprehension, and greater overall engagement. When we write by hand, the slower pace and intricate movement force our brain to process information more deliberately, which strengthens understanding and boosts both short and long-term memory.

Handwriting is also a keystone to success in spelling, reading, and writing. High-quality handwriting instruction and plenty of independent handwriting practice will strengthen those areas of the brain crucial to reading and writing, making reading comprehension, spelling, and writing composition tasks easier. 

This means a child’s cognitive load can shift to understanding and engaging with text. Once children who are learning to read and write can focus less on individual sounds and letter formation, they can focus more on the meaning of words, leading to increased comprehension

So, there is a strong case for handwriting. What can be said for typing?

What Typing Does Well

The increasing prevalence of typing over the past few decades has been staunchly criticized and even blamed for churning out teens and young adults with poor handwriting. And while research shows that handwriting trumps typing in terms of engaging the brain, it is also important to recognize the undeniable benefits of typing. After all, even though handwriting engages more neural circuits than typing does, typing does still engage parts of the brain.

Although our brains are not engaged through typing nearly as much as they are engaged through handwriting, our brains still have to put in work! Typing still requires a great deal of fine motor skills to type with efficiency. Areas of the brain like the intraparietal sulcus activate as we map keys to fingers. Neural activity in areas critical to phoneme-to-grapheme conversion, such as Broca’s area, is also activated during typing.

There is also a case for typing outside of neuroscientific research. From a practical standpoint, typing is leagues faster than writing by hand. With a decent typing speed, it’s rare to run into the issue of thinking faster than you can write. Additionally, typing mistakes can be corrected almost instantly, removing the frustration and distraction that erasing or crossing out with pen can bring.

Typing is perhaps most beneficial to us by way of accessibility. In fact, typing has opened doors for equity and inclusion not just in schools, but far beyond. Without typing, many people with physical disabilities, motor skill deficits, or neurological issues may not be able to communicate at all! 

For students, typing is a powerful form of assistive technology, especially for those who struggle with handwriting even after sufficient instruction and intervention. This is why typing instead of handwriting is a common accommodation in 504 Plans and Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), most often for students with physical or fine motor limitations as well as those with dyslexia or dysgraphia.

Which Is Better?

Although there is a wealth of research comparing the benefits of handwriting to the benefits of typing, it is important to note that they are not in competition with one another. It is not likely that typing instruction will replace handwriting instruction, and even less likely that humans will abandon typing entirely in favor of handwriting. 

In the end, handwriting and typing each bring meaningful benefits, but they serve different purposes. This is especially true for children in school. Handwriting activates the brain in deeper, more multisensory ways that support memory, comprehension, and foundational literacy skills, leading to better learning outcomes. On the other hand, typing offers speed, efficiency, and vital accessibility benefits that help students work more independently as they grow.

Rather than viewing handwriting and typing as competing skills, we can recognize that strong handwriting skills build the cognitive foundation children need before relying heavily on typing. The multisensory nature of handwriting is like a full-body workout to the brain: it fires multiple neural networks at once, strengthening the pathways that support learning and memory. 

Leaning into the multisensory aspect of handwriting has the potential to intensify these connections. Handwriting instruction that intentionally makes every step multisensory can do wonders for the brain—learn more in our handwriting workshop, Handwriting: Lessons for Print!

References:

Marano, Giuseppe, Georgios D. Kotzalidis, Francesco Maria Lisci, Maria Benedetta Anesini, Sara Rossi, Sara Barbonetti, Andrea Cangini, Alice Ronsisvalle, Laura Artuso, Cecilia Falsini, and et al. 2025. "The Neuroscience Behind Writing: Handwriting vs. Typing—Who Wins the Battle?" Life 15, no. 3: 345. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15030345