There are lots of things you probably don’t even know about yourself, your brain functions in ways that even you can’t even understand sometimes. When in a lecture hall or meeting you sometimes find yourself doodling silly pictures and cartoons which you wouldn’t normally do when you are with your friends… ever wondered why?

A lot of people are doodlers, at some point or another you have probably doodled yourself. Some of the world’s most influential people doodle, the likes of Ronald Reagan, Lyndon Johnson, Bill Gates and current American president Barack Obama.

The brain functions in such a way that it is constantly processing information and thus when one is bored they seek alternative means to find stimulating information. If the brain cannot find anything stimulating it resorts to creating things worth thinking about, normally one will either day dream or start doodling.

When a person is bored they brain is actually a lot more active then when that person engages in stimulating content. That’s why daydreaming uses up an enormous amount of energy.

When you doodle however you give your brain just enough cognitive stimulation to prevent your mind from wondering off to fantasy land. The thing about zoning out in a meeting is that you miss out on all the relevant information that you need to hear so then what’s the point of you being at that particular meeting and/or lecture hall anyway?

A study was conducted by Andrade in which she played a collection of telephone voice messages to a collective of people, half of the group where instructed to doodle and the other half where left to just listen to the tapes.

At the end Andrade quiz everyone on what they remembered and she found that the doodlers remembered 29% more information. So next time you in a lecture or meeting, you should try doodling.