Doodling as a Way to Concentrate
Rajelle D. Hernandez
Doodling as a Way to Concentrate Doodling, according to Random House Webster’s Dictionary, is an act of drawing or scribbling idly (210). The term usually has a negative connotation to people. Scribbling flowers, squares, circles, and hearts on your notebook while the teacher is talking in front is like saying that you prefer to draw than to listen to such boring topics. Therefore, doodling is seen as a sign of lost of focus and concentration. But according to a study conducted by Professor Jackie Andrade, PhD., of University of Plymouth, doodling can help us improve our memory, focus, and concentration. Wiley-Blackwell discusses in his article “Do Doodle: Doodling Can Help Memory Recall” the study of Dr. Andrade. The study is composed of forty participants; half of them are the doodlers. The doodlers are asked to shade any shapes on a piece of paper mindlessly while listening to a record. The non-doodlers were asked to just listen. After the process, both groups are asked to list down all the names of the people that they heard and remembered from the said recording. The result of the study showed that the doodlers correctly written an average of 7.5 names of people as compared to an average of 5.8 names written by the non-doodlers which is statistically significant. Moreover, they are all asked to write down the places that are mentioned in the said recording, and the doodlers remembered 29% more details than that of the non-doodlers. John Cloud’s article on “Study: Doodling Helps You Pay Attention” briefly discussed Andrade’s most persuasive theory to support the idea on how doodling aids memory, and this is by explaining how the brain functions. The brain works more when we are bored because its ultimate purpose is to process information nonstop. Our brain tries to work as much as it can, thus having no things to do is problematic. This lack of brain activities leads to daydreaming (Andrade). Daydreaming is worthless especially if
Doodling as a Way to Concentrate Doodling, according to Random House Webster’s Dictionary, is an act of drawing or scribbling idly (210). The term usually has a negative connotation to people. Scribbling flowers, squares, circles, and hearts on your notebook while the teacher is talking in front is like saying that you prefer to draw than to listen to such boring topics. Therefore, doodling is seen as a sign of lost of focus and concentration. But according to a study conducted by Professor Jackie Andrade, PhD., of University of Plymouth, doodling can help us improve our memory, focus, and concentration. Wiley-Blackwell discusses in his article “Do Doodle: Doodling Can Help Memory Recall” the study of Dr. Andrade. The study is composed of forty participants; half of them are the doodlers. The doodlers are asked to shade any shapes on a piece of paper mindlessly while listening to a record. The non-doodlers were asked to just listen. After the process, both groups are asked to list down all the names of the people that they heard and remembered from the said recording. The result of the study showed that the doodlers correctly written an average of 7.5 names of people as compared to an average of 5.8 names written by the non-doodlers which is statistically significant. Moreover, they are all asked to write down the places that are mentioned in the said recording, and the doodlers remembered 29% more details than that of the non-doodlers. John Cloud’s article on “Study: Doodling Helps You Pay Attention” briefly discussed Andrade’s most persuasive theory to support the idea on how doodling aids memory, and this is by explaining how the brain functions. The brain works more when we are bored because its ultimate purpose is to process information nonstop. Our brain tries to work as much as it can, thus having no things to do is problematic. This lack of brain activities leads to daydreaming (Andrade). Daydreaming is worthless especially if
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