Celebration of the Ancient and Beautiful Art of Handwriting Genoveva Uzunova, M.D., Ph.D. Medical Doctor, Scientist, Handwriting Enthusiast
Genoveva Uzunova, M.D., Ph.D.
Physician -Scientist Studying and Developing Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Treatments for Psychiatric, Neurologic, Immunologic, Rare Disorders, Artist, Ballerina, Art Therapist, Positive Psychiatry Enthusiast
January 23 is National Handwriting Day. To celebrate this day I would like to share a brief essay on my love of handwriting, which may be useful for others to advance their personal and professional development. The National Day Calendar notes that National Handwriting Day was established by the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association in 1977. Their motive is to promote the consumption of pens, pencils, and writing paper. January 23rd was chosen as this is the birthday of John Hancock. John Hancock was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence.
Handwriting is invaluable but it is progressively replaced by digital writing or typing. There are different opinions on the long-term consequences of this. Studies suggest that handwriting and computer writing engage distinct areas of the brain and involve different cognitive processes. Therefore, there may be long-term consequences on brain development and functioning. For example, a study using electroencephalography (EEG), published in Frontiers of Psychology, 2020, indicates that “the underlying brain electrical activity related to handwriting, typewriting, and drawing is different”.
Computer and digital device writing is faster, easier, and facilitates communication and therefore is very much in tune with the present pace and demands of life.
I, like many other people, appreciate the importance of handwritten notes and handwriting. Besides, I love handwriting. In my opinion, it is calming, meditative, a form of art, and makes me think differently about the written material. When I write by hand different muscles are engaged as compared to typing. Typing can place strain on the muscles of the arms, shoulders, and neck a lot more than handwriting. In school, I had a class on beautiful handwriting. It is known that by handwriting, it is possible to obtain some insight into a person’s character (enduring characteristics with which one person is born) and personality (the unique way in which an individual thinks, acts, and feels throughout life). It is known that medical doctors are “notorious" for their illegible handwriting. Perhaps, this is because they have so much of it. Surprisingly, to this day, I have beautiful handwriting and many people have commented that I don’t write like a medical doctor. In my opinion, this is because I love art and drawing and have a neat and organized personality. Therefore, I make a conscious effort to have beautiful handwriting.
My Mom has saved some of my handwritten letters to her and my Dad. In some cultures, it is believed that the handwritten note is sacred and should not be destroyed. I love keeping a personal journal and have at least two to three journals at all times. In them, I write my thoughts, wishes, and notable things I have read, and celebrate the moon cycles. In 2000, I read a very interesting book: “Write It Down, Make It Happen” by Henriette Anne Klauser, Ph.D. I would highly recommend it as a way of writing out your dreams, which makes them more likely to come true. Since then, my experience has shown that this is indeed true. However, I have also described on a computer my ideal job with pasted photos and it came true. So, perhaps, the most important is to have a clear image in your mind of what you wish to accomplish and the means of writing, whether handwritten or digital on a computer, is secondary.
One example of the power of handwriting is, several years before I met my sweetheart, Lloyd, I did not have a Valentine for Valentine’s Day and wrote myself a postcard from my Valentine as I wished it would be in reality. Indeed six years later, without seeing my postcard or knowing about it, Lloyd gave me a handwritten Valentine’s Day card, which looked strikingly similar to my card, even bigger and more beautiful.
This is a photo of the two postcards, the smaller one being the one I wrote to myself. How similar they are in the heart and the Eiffel Tower!
To this day I save postcards from Lloyd, handwritten letters, and postcards from my Mom and Dad. They are a precious part of the soul of the person who has written them. When I am in a challenging situation,? I? unconsciously look at my favorite postcards. This relaxes me and gives me confidence, and a few days thereafter, I am surprised by something wonderful that I wish for! In my view, the energy of the thoughts of the person writing is transferred to the handwritten note or postcard.
I love writing handwritten letters! Here is a letter that I wrote to my Mom as a girl (in Bulgarian - Cyrillic alphabet) and drew roses, and a note to my Dad with my drawings, which is both handwritten and typed on a typewriter. I wonder why? Is this because Dad worked more on a typewriter, and computer later on?
Here are some notes from my journals (not personal!). I love to write about life advice I have read. This is some useful advice about a meaningful life from Oprah Magazine that I wrote in my journals in 1999 and 2011.
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Perhaps I love handwriting so much because I love art.
This is the handwritten title of my watercolor painting for Father’s Day, 2022, “Playtime with Dad”. First, I usually start with a pencil sketch of my paintings.
We all know how important handwriting is for work and science, although now it is being increasingly replaced by digital device writing due to many reasons, including being environmentally conscious. To this day, I always keep a handwritten notebook at work. When I draw figures for scientific publications, first I like to make a sketch by hand and subsequently draw the figure using drawing and graphics software.?
Here is a figure that I drew of the brain regions involved in depression and mood disorders for our chapter on the Neurobiology of Mood Disorders for Scientific American Decker, 2018, which I wrote. I keep so many notes from science meetings. In my experimental work, handwriting is indispensable.?
This is a photo of my handwriting on the box and tubes in February 2023, at The Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute.
I think both handwriting and digital typing are very important and the future will show the value of each! This is a very nice opinion from the Economist on the value of the handwriting:
In my opinion, handwriting is beautiful, wonderful, and invaluable, and should not be replaced totally by digital device writing and become extinct.?
This is an opinion from The Atlantic in support of my idea:
According to the EEG scientific study mentioned above, handwriting makes kids smarter than typing on a computer keyboard, and the researcher proposes that there should be national guidelines assuring that children receive at least a minimum of handwriting training.
Indeed, with the risk of sounding not very modest, in school in the U.S. (Bethesda, MD), I skipped two grades, fifth and seventh, because teachers told my parents I learn very quickly and am too advanced for my studies.
Another study from the University of Tokyo shows stronger brain activity when writing by hand on paper than on a tablet or smartphone.
How will you celebrate National Handwriting Day?