Piccasso. Rembrandt. Da Vinci.

If you like to draw, you’re probably intimidated by the talent and works of the great art legends.

But don’t let those feelings of inadequacy hold you back from doing at least a daily doodle – there’s real benefits in doing so.

According to a study published in the journal “Applied Cognitive Psychology” in 2009, people who doodle are better able to recall information than non-doodlers.

In addition, doodling is thought to stimulate areas of the brain that don’t get used all that much during typical daily interactions.  The act of randomly drawing fires off neurons in unexpected ways – which can lead to breakthroughs in thinking that you wouldn’t come up with otherwise.

Another side-benefit, according to psychologist Christine Selby, is that the act of simply drawing a continuous line across the page that curves and crosses itself multiple times can help you relax.  Many of us have real fears about making mistakes – doodling, which has zero goals and no one will ever grade, gives us a chance to just unwind and go with the flow.

Apparently, the impulse to doodle goes back a very long time.  In fact, according to the journal “Nature,” the world’s oldest known doodle dates back over 500,000 years.  It’s a very faint series of zig-zag lines found engraved on a mussel shell from a site in Eastern Java.

My guess – it was a way to relax and enjoy a lovely day at the primordial beach.

If you’d like to get together to talk about your dreams for retirement – even as random and rough and free-form as they may currently be – we’d be happy to help. Give me a call at 513-563-PLAN (7526) or book online.

Regards,
Dan Cuprill, CFP®