Yes, you read that correctly: It’s National Handwriting Day! Way back when in 1977, the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association actually established January 23rd as a day to re-discover the simplicity of your very own handwriting. And no, they did not just pick that date out of a hat. January 23rd is the birthday of the one responsible for what is probably the most famous signature of all time- John Hancock. So get ready to reacquaint yourself with the good old fashioned pen or pencil. It’ll be a nice change from all the typing and texting we’ve gotten used to over time. Oh, and not to make you feel too bad about using such an archaic communication tool, here are some fun facts about handwriting!
1. Just like you don’t share the same set of fingerprints with anyone else in the world, you also don’t share your unique handwriting with anyone else in the world.
2. Research has proven that you remember information better by actually writing it out than typing it. That should be reason enough to keep your pen handy!
3. Our brains control our individual handwriting, which basically means that if you’d learn to write with your toes- yup, some people actually can!- you’d have more or less the same exact handwriting as when you write with your hand.
4. It’s been reported that 85% of students complete their SATs in manuscript, while just 15% write in cursive. Here’s the kicker though: On average, those that write in cursive score higher!
5. Last but not least, perfect penmanship is indicative of a communicative person, while an indecipherable scrawl is the hallmark of a secretive individual who likes to keep his thoughts to himself. Hmmm, I wonder what that means for those guys in medical scrubs who are in charge of the well-being of our nation. If you haven’t realized it yet, I’m talking about doctors and their totally illegible handwriting!
Hang on, before you log on to your email account and get ready to forward these interesting bits of information to your friends and family (don’t pretend you were going to mail them a letter- you weren’t!), maybe take the message of National Handwriting Day to your patients and write out, in your own unique handwriting, a meaningful get well card!
