The Applied Journal of Cognitive Psychology conducted a 2009 study that has shed a new light on the habit of doodling.  As part of the study, researcher Jackie Andrade played a lengthy voicemail to the group of volunteers.  The first group was asked to doodle during the course of the message, while the second group was instructed to simply listen to the recording. Interestingly, the group of doodlers remembered 29% more details than the other group.

City University of New York psychology professor Jesse Prinz claims “doodling isn’t just a distraction from boredom- it may actually keep us from daydreaming and zoning out altogether. Mindless drawing [is]…a way to take all those things that distract you, all those subjects that you ruminate on, and clear them away [to] open this space where information can get in”.

So the next time you find yourself stuck in a long meeting or watching a lengthy informational video, embrace your creative side and doodle away!

Click the link below to be redirected to the original cbs news article on the study:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-higher-purpose-of-doodling/

The below video segment expands upon the above research study and discusses how casual doodling can improve our daily memory and comprehension: