To Your Health:Drawing out your brain’s memory capabilities

By Gillian Slade on December 10, 2018.

The benefits of stimulating your brain by doing things like crossword puzzles and Sudoku have long been recognized as beneficial cognitively but now the University of Waterloo has research to show drawing may be even better.

Don’t worry if you are not artistically inclined; that does not appear to impact the benefits at all.

“We found that drawing enhanced memory in older adults more than other known study techniques,” said Melissa Meade, Ph.D candidate in cognitive neuroscience at the University of Waterloo.

The research included looking at various techniques to aid retention of memory. The research participants, some young people and some seniors, were presented with a range of words. They had the option of writing the words down, drawing an image for each word, or writing down some physical attributes that were associated with each word. Later the participants were tested on how many of the words they could remember. Those who had drawn an image for each word, in both age groups, did significantly better in retention of the information.

The findings are encouraging and could mean a range of interventions could be used to help dementia patients throughout the progression of the disease, said Meade. Drawing encompasses a range of awareness including visual, spatial, verbal, semantic and motoric.

Drawing is of course also a function of the right side of the brain while the left side handles thoughts, and verbal skills.

You may recall the very popular book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain,” by Betty Edwards, published in the late 1970s. For most of us our left brain wants to interfere with what our brain on the right side would like to draw. Edwards famously recommended drawing upside down to force you to draw what you see rather than how the left side of your brain interprets it.

The benefits of drawing are not just about trying to sketch an image that is realistic and/or pleasing to look at. It may be none of those but you will have derived a long term benefit by making a mental shift from one side of the brain to the other.

It also takes the pressure off. You don’t even need to show anyone what you have drawn but you will be better for having had a go.

There are numerous benefits to engaging a part of your brain that is not usually stimulated. In addition to drawing there is learning to play a musical instrument. The older we are the bigger the challenge in this regard but so are the rewards.

Here’s to engaging both sides of your brain and reaping the benefits in more ways than you will ever know and here’s To Your Health.

To Your Health is a weekly column by Gillian Slade, health reporter for the News, bringing you news on health issues and research from around the world. You can reach her at gslade@medicinehatnews.com or 403-528-8635.