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Drawing Attention

Doodling might look like distraction, but in fact it helps people pay attention.

By

Wed Mar 18 2015

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Some years back, I noticed that I instinctively picked up a pen and started to draw whenever I felt distracted but should have been paying attention. Even at conferences where the subject matter fascinated me, I found myself drawing spirals, checkerboard patterns, and outlines of the people around me. I didn’t need research to tell me that drawing in my notebook helped me to listen, but that’s exactly what studies have found.

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