“Slow and steady wins the race” may also apply to writing. A recent study conducted by the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, suggested that typing slowly may result in better writing chops.
Researchers of the study found that participants who typed essays using only one hand fared better in their writing than those who typed with both hands. The study used text-analysis software that revealed improved vocabulary use among participants who did one-hand typing, and hence typed slowly.
“Typing can be too fluent or too fast and can actually impair the writing process,” noted Srdan Medimorec, a Waterloo researcher and lead author of a British Journal Psychology article.
The researchers believed that typing slowly allowed for better word selection leading to eloquence. Fast typists, however, exhibited limited vocabulary as they tended to use the first word that popped into their heads.
“This is the first study to show that when you interfere with people’s typing, their writing can get better,” said Psycology professor Evan F. Risko. “This is important to consider as writing tools continue to emerge that let us get our thoughts onto the proverbial page faster and faster,” the researchers added.