Yes, drawing can indeed make you smarter. It does this in several ways but there is clear scientific evidence now to support the fact that drawing and art in general can make you smarter.
The right hemisphere of our brain is responsible for creativity and imagination. While the left hemisphere is more involved in logical tasks. In normal life situations the left hemisphere often takes over leaving the right hemisphere to just tick away in the background. When you draw, there is a huge increase in the use of the right hemisphere.
This means you immediately start to use more of your brain. When we are drawing, not only do both hemispheres work together, they have to communicate with each other. This process has been shown to increase the synapses that are actually used and developed the brains overall capacity too.
One of the other things that drawing will improve is hand eye coordination. Spatial awareness is also likely to improve too. These two things are something that will improve with each drawing you do. They will help in many areas of your life. Parking a car for example requires the use of both at the same time just as drawing does.
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Does Drawing Increase Intelligence?
Yes, drawing does increase your intelligence. There has been a lot of work done using art therapy in the treatment of alzheimer’s and in dementia care. It is also now used a lot in other mental health sectors. Dr Arnold Bresky has had amazing results with over 70% of dementia patients having improved brain function after the use of art therapy.
As well as increasing the use of cross brain communication, it appears to increase the production of new synaptic flow patterns. You can think of this like the brain re-wiring itself. Creating new pathways where old ones had become damaged or dysfunctional. This adds to the capacity of the brains neurotransmitters and increases cognitive ability.
Drawing also increases the concentration span, allowing you to focus on any particular subject for longer. The ability to ‘see’ details within a picture is the same ability you use in any recognition based task. Pattern recognition is one of the obvious benefits but it has been used successfully to increase peoples ability to assess risk in certain situations.
3 Reasons Why Drawing Makes You Smarter
1. It increases the synaptic flow within the brain.
This enables the brain to increase the overall rate of neurotransmission. This can improve many areas of the intellect.
2. It increases the ability of both sides of the brain to work together.
This increases the individuals ability to overcome the limitations caused by damaged or degenerating nerve fibres.
3. It improves spatial awareness and hand eye coordination.
This can improve motor skills in some people with limited or damaged nerve transmission systems in various parts of the body and mind,
Is Drawing Good For The Brain?
Yes, drawing is great for the brain. All the positive reasons listed above it also all have been shown to benefit from drawing.
Drawing allows the left brain to rest. As with anything with rest the brain will become revitalised. So by drawing, you exersize the left brain.
Drawing increases communication between the two sides of the brain.
It can also increase synaptic flow and neural transmission rates within the brain.
Drawing can improve pattern recognition and spatial awareness.
It will also improve hand eye coordination.
So drawing really is good for the brain in many different ways.
