I’ve had a lifelong love of writing — the physical act of putting pen to paper. There were notes taken in class, diaries filled with angsty musings and countless lists, of things like birthday-party invitees and boys I liked.

And some things never change (though now my notebooks bear daily to-dos, notes taken at my daughter’s checkups and packing lists). You might even say that seeing my handiwork come to life on paper is my physical version of ASMR.

Well, call me old-school or odd, but I may be onto something. As it turns out, writing by hand leaves an indelible mark on the brain, particularly when it comes to learning. Studies show that having to pay attention to the precisely controlled movements of the hand required for writing have a bigger impact than typing does on the brain’s connectivity patterns related to learning and remembering.

So allow me to wax poetic on the many powers of the pen.

It helps us process information more deeply

“When we generate notes, we are engaging in a deeper level of processing than if we type everything we hear word for word,” says Julia Phelan, Ph.D., co-founder of an education consultancy firm specializing in evidence-based approaches to improve learning experiences. “It requires us to summarize, condense, group and reword things, and as we do so we are engaging in much more active processing, which helps foster encoding — storage of new information.” Personally, I’ve found that using a pen with a steady flow and a precision tip, like the Pilot Precise V5 RT, makes this process even more seamless.

Pilot Precise V5 RT Refillable & Retractable Rolling Ball Pens

Precise V5 RT Refillable & Retractable Rolling Ball Pens

It amplifies creativity

Wielding a pen stimulates so much brain activity, scientists believe it can boost creative thinking. For example, researchers found that children were more expressive, and wrote longer essays with faster word production, when composing text by pen than by keyboard. What’s more, the slower pace of handwriting encourages and fosters more thought behind what’s written and the way it’s said.

What we use to write can also make us feel more creative as we’re doing it. For example, try writing a thank-you, a journal entry or a note to stick in your child’s lunch box with a colored rolling ball pen, like the Pilot Precise V7 in Harmony. It’s iterated in six vivid shades to bring every word to life.

Pilot Precise V7 Stick Liquid Ink Rolling Ball Stick Pens

Precise V7 Stick Liquid Ink Rolling Ball Stick Pens

It boosts memory

“Generating handwritten notes is more cognitively taxing than copying text or typing verbatim/transcribing what one hears,” Phelan says. This difficulty is associated with a deeper level of processing (or encoding), which leads to increased retention, she says. Studies show that having to take notes by hand rather than typing them forces you to process information and reframe it in your own words, which helps with retention.

It can be a soothing sensory experience

Having to pause to think about what we’re saying and the concentration it takes to trace out each letter can not only be meditative, but it forces us to focus on being present and slowing down. “Writing by hand offers unique sensory experiences: the sound of the pencil or pen on paper, the feeling of your hand moving, the touch feedback as you write on the paper — all of these are beneficial to cognitive health,” says associate professor of psychology James M. Hyman, Ph.D.

It can boost your mood

Getting your feelings out on paper can feel like releasing the floodgates (amiright?) in one stream of consciousness — and there’s a reason why. Researchers have found that journaling just 15 minutes a day, three days a week, for 12 weeks can help decrease stress and increase overall well-being by helping to better process emotions. Scientists believe one of the reasons why journaling helps has to do with cognitive processing and reorganizing information. “It forces us to take moments and recall experiences,” Hyman says. “Re-experiencing what’s recalled can give us a new perspective outside the heat of the moment.”