When David Copperfield performs, although we may be skeptical, his seemingly magical powers amaze us. Our brains possess equally magical abilities, as science continues to discover.
Some have tried to replicate our brains’ complicated processes using artificial intelligence. Steve Wozniak (of Apple fame) spoke to the Grand Valley State University class of 2026, “You all have AI—actual intelligence. My entire life in the technical world, I’ve been following people who were trying to figure out how to make a brain. I was at a company where the engineers figured out how to make a brain. It takes nine months.”
With a focus on brain health, I’ve been reading about a trend towards going analog from several sources. This coordinates with recent research on how handwriting rewires our brain.
In 2010, teaching standards changed, and educators stopped teaching cursive writing to focus on typing. It seemed to make sense, but ten years on, the complications from this decision became clear.
An article by History Facts explains: “In 2022, former Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust recalled that in one of her history seminars, two-thirds of the students admitted they couldn’t read or write cursive.”
Besides the fact that not reading cursive is a hindrance to historical learning, NPR tells us why this is important:
“Handwriting is probably among the most complex motor skills that the brain is capable of,” says Marieke Longcamp, a cognitive neuroscientist at Aix-Marseille Université.
In kids, studies show that tracing out ABCs, as opposed to typing them, leads to better and longer-lasting recognition and understanding of letters. Writing by hand also improves memory and recall of words, laying down the foundations of literacy and learning. In adults, taking notes by hand during a lecture, instead of typing, can lead to better conceptual understanding of material.
There’s actually some very important things going on during the embodied experience of writing by hand,” says Ramesh Balasubramaniam, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Merced. “It has important cognitive benefits.”
Writing by hand, especially cursive, is not gone just yet, and kids are leading the way. I’ve seen texts of parents amused by their kids forming cursive clubs and teaching each other this “secret way” of writing, like it is a kind of code. As of 2025, 25 U.S. states require cursive instruction in schools, and it’s not just about nostalgia; neuroscience shows that writing in cursive activates brain pathways that help with learning and language development.
Aren’t the best things in life analog? We only truly experience things through our physical senses, unplugged from electronic devices: love, eating, drinking, immersed in the beauty of nature.
In a time when mindfulness is a path to overall health and healing, we may just need the simple act of putting pen to paper.
How will you unplug this summer?
Hop in the caravan as we ride over to Self-care and explore more ways to exercise our brains by indulging in a little analog fun!
✏️Friendly reminder: This feature link is to a page. Often, but not always, I place new features at the top. You might need to take a little scroll to find the feature mentioned here. Enjoy the journey; you may just discover the perfect encouragement your beautiful mind needs! 🧠
Every brain needs happy music! And, if you want to “feel groovy like an old time movie,” listen to The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Do You Believe in Magic!”
“Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.” 2 Corinthians 13:11
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