The charm of hand written letters in the digital age.

Dear Friend, when was the last time you received a personal handwritten card or letter? I'd guess it has been quite sometime, if ever. And to that end, when was the last time you even sat down to write a card or letter to someone significant in your life ?

The digital age has not made our lives more productive, it has simply made everything quicker. Life rushes by faster than it ever has before. Our skills and artistic flare is being replaced by digital art, AI is replacing our thoughts and ideas before long our brains will be redundant, thinking for ourselves will become a thing of the past.

There is no doubt the digital age has improved many aspects of our lives but is it all really necessary? Digitally generated information, emails and electronic devices can not replace the emotions and feelings that are conveyed when we physically sit down to write pen to paper. Taking time to slow down, to remove the screens and noise and become one with our thoughts. Conveying our feelings to another.

When we write it feels like our heart spills its sentiments down our arm into our pen and it leaks onto the page without judgement or sensor.

Personality and individuality of handwriting

Hand writing gives us the ability to show our character and personality. It is a very different experience when we write analogue, to the digital . Emails if not professional have a very impersonal feeling, mostly we don't punctuate or use any form of grammar, they almost look like glorified text messages,

Our own style of handwriting is now being lost. We once upon a time could have been recognized by our handwritten style. There is no longer the need to take care with what we write so that the recipient can read it, styles and fonts take care of that, spelling is a thing of the past, predictive text and spell checkers take care of that however this leaves our writing very impersonal and anyone could have written our words. Characters do not have the same personality as handwritten text no matter how pretty it may look.

Our own style of handwriting makes our words, emotions and feelings very unique when seen by the recipient.

The personal connection between writer and recipient

Reading handwritten words has a way of taking us out of the moment and putting us in a different dimension. We can almost hear the writer as though they were reading the letter back to us. We are transported back to them. We experience their emotions through the descriptions that transport us back to a place and time that perhaps we weren't even a part of .

The importance of handwriting in the digital era

The digital era may give us more abilities on a global stage, however handwriting is still an important skill to achieve.

Handwriting improves our retention of information. Multiple studies have proven that handwritten notes are more beneficial than typed notes for retention of information. Perhaps typed notes look neater but perhaps that is more down to the fact that we no longer practice the skill of writing.

Handwriting improves focus, it is a no screen time, time to think, concentrate and remove distractions so that we can think clearly about the topic we are writing about. Most professional writers prefer to write pen and paper style as it prevents the urge to edit as they write, unlike a screen and keyboard, the flow of words is more natural.

Handwriting is a communication skill in both a professional and personal setting. Learning to be good at writing helps us to think on paper and explore thoughts, ideas and opportunities.

Writing is a skill like any other that requires focus, patience and practice but it is worth the effort.

There is no disputing email, texts and face time can get important information directly to the recipient immediately but this does not compare to the feelings we get when we see the handwriting on the envelope of a hand written letter. An email can never express the emotion and pleasure a handwritten card or letter arouses in our hearts .

A hand written letter creates a feeling of closeness, it brings our loved ones closer to us even if we are continents apart.

A handwritten card or letter is an investment in the relationship, it can make the recipient feel cherished in the knowledge that the writer has taken the time to step away from their own lives to pen thoughts, feelings and emotions directly to the recipient.

Handwritten letters and keepsakes

A hand written letter has a permanence electronic messages or letters are easily deleted and forgotten yet the emotion associated with a handwritten note makes it more difficult to part with.

Handwritten notes are a physical gift. They become keepsakes that we can cherish forever and come back to time after time, We re read each word to take us back to that moment so that we can relive the experience, we get a sense of once again being in that moment, feeling the confection to the person who took the time to write those words that meant so much to us.

How technology affects handwriting

Many people have become too reliant on the power of technology, depending on text and auto correct, we no longer take time to write and enjoy the art of beautiful hand writing, depending so heavily on technology is affecting our ability to write neatly or communicate effectively without a screen or keyboard.

There is no doubt hand writing is an art form, it emerged around 5000 years ago, since then it has been a vital tool for communicating and relaying important information, at one time low literacy levels meant that handwriting was a skill of the educated elite. Here we are 2024 and most of us rarely put pen to paper our lives are too fast paced and so often we loose skills that once were so important to every day life.

The many benefits of handwriting

There are many benefits of hand writing, however there will always be those who prefer digital and typing to handwritten text, however handwriting has more benefits for our health.

Typing may be faster, simpler and give the ability to change format and fix spelling mistakes, but it can be no alternative to handwriting.

It has been proven that writing by hand uses regions of the brain that we use for thinking, language and working memory. In short writing gives us a mental workout and helps to get the creative juices flowing.

There is something about writing pen to paper that makes the experience special, perhaps it is the slowing down, taking time to think and simply be in the moment.

A study published in neurology in 2021 found that high levels of cognitive activity such as reading, puzzles and writing letters can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by as much as 5 years among those ages 80 and over. Another amazing reason to write.

The gift of receiving handwritten letters and the joy it brings

That aside, if for no other reason, handwriting letters and cards should remain part of our lives if for no other reason, we should do it for the joy it brings to the writer and the receiver.

The joy of receiving something that shows us another cares for us, that someone took time and effort to think about us and put their heart felt thoughts on paper and sent it to us, there is no better feeling.

Xx Lei

HANDWRITING IS MORE CONNECTED TO THE MOVEMENT OF THE HEART - Natalie Goldberg