At Arts Academy in the Woods, we can say from first-hand experience that there are psychological benefits of creative writing. Especially when it comes to teenagers and young adults.
There are numerous cognitive advantages to creating writing.
So while in a previous post we addressed the many reasons creative writing is good for our students at Arts Academy in the Woods, in this post we’ll explore some of those cognitive advantages.
The Many Psychological Benefits of Creative Writing
Creative writing is a unique art form. It encourages students to engage their brains in a different, yet familiar way. Creative writing asks them to look at things from a new perspective and then carefully choose the words that illustrate this perspective.
Along the way, they pick up some valuable psychological benefits.
1. Longer Attention Span
Did you know that a goldfish has an attention span of 9 seconds? Doesn’t sound like much, but it’s actually longer than the average attention span of a human – which has dropped from 12 seconds to 8 seconds in the last two decades. Even squirrels do better than that.
So how does creative writing help lengthen attention span? Well, when educators give their students a creative writing assignment, they have to be able to compose, ponder, and read all at the same time. This requires focused attention. As one phrase is finished, another comes forward begging to be written. So the more a student writes, the more focused he/she/they become.
2. Increased Self-Esteem
Another psychological benefit of creative writing is how it boosts self-esteem. When students are able to craft stories or even write out their thoughts and feelings to share with others, it enables others to understand how it is to be in their heads. If they receive praise from their friends and family for their writing, it’s an additional boost to their self-esteem. But even if they don’t, creative writing gives students a chance to think about who they are as a person and get to know themselves better.
Some students use creative writing as a way to connect with other students by sharing stories and perspectives while learning from and supporting other writers. All of these lead to more self-esteem.
3. Emotional Release
The vast majority of cognitive therapy modalities recommend writing about emotions and feelings as a means for releasing them. In doing so, therapy patients who do this emotional clearing tend to experience far fewer physical problems such as gastrointestinal issues or migraines then those who don’t write at all.
It’s no different for students at any arts-integrated middle school or high school. Creative writing can be a healthy way for teenagers to unwind and de-stress by providing an outlet for feelings that would otherwise cause an internal pile-up during those difficult adolescent years.
4. More Mental Clarity
Given the rise in ADD and ADHD diagnoses among teenagers, gaining more mental clarity would certainly be helpful.
Since creative writing forces students to organize their thoughts in a logical way and then put them into words, they’re required to be more conscious of their ideas, opinions, and emotions. This leads to improved mental clarity that lends to improved perspective and making better judgments.
5. Improved Memory
While concern with memory loss is more the domain of older adults, it’s never too late to improve one’s memory. Creative wri
ting does this.
Creative writing is nothing more than a mental series of events linked together in some way. As such, writing out ideas and thoughts contextualizes them for a student’s brain to better manage them. For instance, writing out a few words on a piece of paper can spark the remembrance of an unfinished task that may have otherwise gone forgotten.
Interestingly, writing by hand is particularly beneficial for strengthening brain connections. The heaviness of the pen, the sound of a pencil scrawling on the paper, even the smell of an eraser can help to improve memory. This is because sensory input is a crucial part of memory formation.
Who knew?
Does Creative Writing Spark Your Child?
If your child is forever buried in a notebook or on a laptop writing, then it may be time to enroll him /her/them into an Arts Academy in the Woods in Fraser, Michigan.
Don’t hesitate to contact us today to request a tour of our school.
And take advantage of the multiple psychological benefits of creative writing for your child.