The Secret Superpowers of Doodling

    Picture this: The year is 1988. President Ronald Reagan sits at his desk in the Oval Office. When he picks up his pen, he has extraordinary powers.

    He can sign a bill to make it a law.

    He can send U.S. troops into battle.

    Or . . . he can doodle little horses and cowboy hats during a long, boring meeting.

    Reagan was famous for scribbling little drawings, and he’s not alone. More than half of U.S. presidents have doodled. Big people in business, like Apple founder Steve Jobs, have done it too. How did these powerful people get away with zoning out? Isn’t it their job to pay attention?

    As it turns out, doodling might have helped them do exactly that. It might help you too.

    Picture this: The year is 1988. President Ronald Reagan sits at his desk in the Oval Office. When he picks up his pen, he has great powers.

    He can sign a bill to make it a law.

    He can send U.S. troops into battle.

    Or . . . he can doodle little horses and cowboy hats during a long, dull meeting.

    Reagan was known for his little drawings. And he’s not alone. More than half of U.S. presidents have doodled. So have big people in business, like Apple founder Steve Jobs. How did these people get away with zoning out? Didn’t they need to pay attention?

    As it turns out, doodling might have helped them do that. It might help you too.

    Picture this: The year is 1988, and President Ronald Reagan is seated at his desk in the Oval Office. When he picks up his pen, Reagan has extraordinary powers. 

    He can sign a bill to make it a law.

    He can send U.S. troops into battle.

    Or . . . he can doodle little horses and cowboy hats during a long, boring meeting.

    Reagan was famous for scribbling little drawings, and he’s not alone. More than half of U.S. presidents have doodled—and so have important people in business, like Apple founder Steve Jobs. How did these powerful people get away with zoning out? Isn’t it their job to pay attention?

    Actually, doodling might have helped them do exactly that—and it might help you too.

    For most of human history, doodling was seen as a silly distraction. Then scientists decided to ask an important question: Why do we do it? 

    In 2009, a psychologist in England did a study. She divided people into two groups. They listened to a recording of a long list of names. One group doodled shapes while listening. The other half didn’t. In the end, the doodlers remembered 29 percent more information. 

    “We think of doodling as something you do when you lose focus,” says doodle expert Sunni Brown. “In reality, it’s what you can do to stop yourself from losing focus.”

    Here’s how it works: When you’re learning new information, your brain can get tired. It might want to daydream about scoring a soccer goal or eating delicious, cheesy pizza. You might even fall asleep.

    But if you doodle, your brain stays active. It’s enough to keep you awake—but not so distracting that you stop paying attention.

    For years, doodling was seen as a silly distraction. Then scientists asked an important question: Why do we do it?

    In 2009, a psychologist in England did a study. She divided people into two groups. They listened to a recording of a long list of names. One group doodled shapes while listening. The other group didn’t. Later, the doodlers remembered 29 percent more information.

    “We think of doodling as something you do when you lose focus,” says doodle expert Sunni Brown. “In reality, it’s what you can do to stop yourself from losing focus.”

    Here’s how it works: When you’re learning new information, your brain can get tired. You might daydream. You might even fall asleep.

    But if you doodle, your brain stays active. It can help keep you awake. But it’s not too distracting. You can still listen.

    For most of human history, doodling was regarded as a pointless distraction. Then scientists decided to ask an important question: Why do we do it?

    In 2009, a psychologist in England did a study. She divided people into two groups and had both groups listen to a recording of a long list of names. One group doodled shapes while listening, and the other group didn’t. In the end, the doodlers recalled 29 percent more information than the non-doodlers.

    “We think of doodling as something you do when you lose focus,” says doodle expert Sunni Brown. “In reality, it’s what you can do to stop yourself from losing focus.”

    Here’s how it works: When you’re learning new information, your brain can get tired and start to daydream about scoring a soccer goal or eating delicious, cheesy pizza. You might even fall asleep.

    But if you doodle, your brain stays active. It’s enough to keep you awake—but it’s not so distracting that you stop paying attention.

    Doodling can do more than just help you focus. It may also boost your mood. Scientists have shown that it can have the same effect on your brain as laughing or eating chocolate.

    Today, more people are learning about the power of doodling. You can read books about famous people who doodled. You can buy journals just for doodling. You can even take classes on how to doodle to relax. 

    So the next time you feel tired in science class, try doodling. Sketching while you listen could help you learn.

    And who knows­—it might even be the mark of a future president. 

    Doodling doesn’t just help you focus. It may also boost your mood. Scientists say it can have the same effect on your brain as laughing or eating chocolate.

    Today, more people know about the power of doodling. There are books about famous people who doodled. There are journals just for doodling. There are even classes on how to doodle to relax.

    So the next time you feel tired in class, try doodling. Drawing while you listen could help you learn.

    And who knows? It might be the mark of a future president. 

    In addition to helping you focus, doodling might improve your mood. Scientists have shown that it can have the same effect on your brain as laughing or eating chocolate.

    Today, more people are learning about the benefits of doodling. You can read books about famous people who doodled, buy journals just for doodling, or even take classes on how to doodle for relaxation.

    So the next time you feel tired in science class, try doodling. Sketching while you listen could help you absorb information.

    And you never know—it might even be the mark of a future president.