Tokyo [Japan], March 19 (ANI): Writing on a physical paper can lead to more brain activity when remembering the information an hour later, suggest the findings of a recent study led by Japanese university students and recent graduates.
Researchers say that the unique, complex, spatial and tactile information associated with writing by hand on physical paper is likely what leads to improved memory.
“Actually, the paper is more advanced and useful compared to electronic documents because paper contains more one-of-a-kind information for stronger memory recall,” said Professor Kuniyoshi L. Sakai, a neuroscientist at the University of Tokyo and corresponding author of the research recently published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. The research was completed with collaborators from the NTT Data Institute of Management Consulting.
Contrary to the popular belief that digital tools increase efficiency, volunteers who used paper completed the note-taking task about 25 per cent faster than those who used digital tablets or smartphones.
Although volunteers wrote by hand both with pen and paper or stylus and digital tablet, researchers say paper notebooks contain more complex spatial information than digital paper. Physical paper allows for tangible permanence, irregular strokes, and uneven shape, like folded corners. In contrast, the digital paper is uniform, has no fixed position when scrolling, and disappears when you close the app.
“Our take-home message is to use paper notebooks for information we need to learn or memorize,” said Sakai.
In the study, a total of 48 volunteers read a fictional conversation between characters discussing their plans for two months in the near future, including 14 different class times, assignment due dates and personal appointments. Researchers performed pre-test analyses to ensure that the volunteers, all 18-29 years old and recruited from university campuses or NTT offices, were equally sorted into three groups based on memory skills, personal preference for digital or analog methods, gender, age and other aspects.
Volunteers then recorded the fictional schedule using a paper datebook and pen, a calendar app on a digital tablet and a stylus, or a calendar app on a large smartphone and a touch-screen keyboard. There was no time limit and volunteers were asked to record the fictional events in the same way as they would for their real-life schedules, without spending extra time to memorize the schedule.
After one hour, including a break and an interference task to distract them from thinking about the calendar, volunteers answered a range of simple (When is the assignment due?) and complex (Which is the earlier due date for the assignments?) multiple choice questions to test their memory of the schedule. While they completed the test, volunteers were inside a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, which measures blood flow around the brain. This is a technique called functional MRI (fMRI), and increased blood flow observed in a specific region of the brain is a sign of increased neuronal activity in that area.
Participants who used a paper datebook filled in the calendar within about 11 minutes. Tablet users took 14 minutes and smartphone users took about 16 minutes. Volunteers who used analog methods in their personal life were just as slow at using the devices as volunteers who regularly use digital tools, so researchers are confident that the difference in speed was related to memorization or associated encoding in the brain, not just differences in the habitual use of the tools.
Volunteers who used analog methods scored better than other volunteers only on simple test questions. However, researchers say that the brain activation data revealed significant differences.
Volunteers who used paper had more brain activity in areas associated with language, imaginary visualization, and in the hippocampus — an area known to be important for memory and navigation. Researchers say that the activation of the hippocampus indicates that analog methods contain richer spatial details that can be recalled and navigated in the mind’s eye.
“Digital tools have uniform scrolling up and down and standardized arrangement of text and picture size, like on a webpage. But if you remember a physical textbook printed on paper, you can close your eyes and visualize the photo one-third of the way down on the left-side page, as well as the notes you added in the bottom margin,” Sakai explained.
Researchers say that personalizing digital documents by highlighting, underlining, circling, drawing arrows, handwriting colour-coded notes in the margins, adding virtual sticky notes, or other types of unique mark-ups can mimic analog-style spatial enrichment that may enhance memory.
Although they have no data from younger volunteers, researchers suspect that the difference in brain activation between analog and digital methods is likely to be stronger in younger people.
“High school students’ brains are still developing and are so much more sensitive than adult brains,” said Sakai.
Although the current research focused on learning and memorization, the researchers encourage using paper for creative pursuits as well.
“It is reasonable that one’s creativity will likely become more fruitful if prior knowledge is stored with stronger learning and more precisely retrieved from memory. For art, composing music, or other creative works, I would emphasize the use of paper instead of digital methods,” said Sakai. (ANI)

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 19 (ANI): After piquing the curiosity of viewers by sharing intriguing teasers of his upcoming film ‘The Big Bull’, Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan on Friday dropped an intriguing trailer of the film that sees the actor becoming a part of the ‘mother of all the scams’.
The ‘Bluff Master’ actor took to Twitter and shared the trailer of the film featuring a story inspired by some of the shocking shifts that shook the financial fabric of India.

The three-minute-eight second trailer starts from a voice-over, “In this country, one can do anything – use fake promoters, bribe the police, threaten the media, we can buy people -but there is one rule- you can never get caught.” The clip sees Abhishek in the role of stockbroker – Hemant Shah on board a taxi as he went to a bank, post which he shows some documents to the bank officer, just when one the fake document is about to get caught, he bribes the bank employee.
The trailer then showcases the story of Hemant which is set in 1987, in Mumbai city, as he becomes a trader of the stock market and gathers secret information which helps him in his market trading. Earning profits eventually, he goes on to do ‘insider trading’
Leading him to become one of the biggest business tycoons of the ‘stock market’ Hemant, then even gets the support of politicians in expanding his business. It then showcases glimpses of his journey from becoming a tycoon to his quest to know of the loopholes, landing in jail and his desire to become India’s first billionaire.
The trailer gives major ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ vibes and shows the sign of an entertainer.
Helmed by Kookie Gulati, the film also stars Ileana D’Cruz, Nikita Dutta, Sumit Vats, Ram Kapoor, Sohum Shah among many more. The trailer of the movie will release on March 19.
The film was earlier set to release in October 2020 but was delayed owing to the coronavirus-led pandemic. The makers then decided to go for a direct-to-OTT release.
A web show titled ‘Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story’ tells the same story and was launched last year on SonyLIV. Helmed by Hansal Mehta, the series made Pratik Gandhi, who played the titular role, the breakout star of 2020. The massively successful series named names and was not afraid to show the events as they happened decades back. (ANI)

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 19 (ANI): Spending some good times chilling with her family, Bollywood star Karisma Kapoor on Friday shared a clip featuring ‘fam jam’.
The ‘Raja Hindustani’ star hopped on to Instagram and shared a short clip that sees the actor along with her family members as they shake a leg.

The clip sees Karisma, and her family members dressed in black ensembles. The ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ star is seen in a black full sleeve printed top and black pants, a neat ponytail, hoop earrings and a pair of black-rimmed glasses. The video sees Ranbir Kapoor’s sister and Karisma’s cousin Riddhima Kapoor Sahni hold the camera while they all groove.
Taking to the captions, the ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’ star wrote, “Famjam (adding a red heart emoticon), and tagged the people in the clip- “@nandanitasha @nikhil_nanda @riddhimakapoorsahniofficial @brat.man #samara.”
More than 1 lakh fans liked the post on the photo-sharing platform, and many left red heart and fire emoticons, as they loved the clip.
Of late, the actor has been quite active on social media and keeps updating fans about her activities by posting pictures and videos.
Earlier, the 46-year-old had congratulated sister Kareena on welcoming a baby boy. She shared the joy of becoming a “maasi again” on Instagram by posting a throwback picture of the ‘Jab We Met’ actor from when she was a little baby. (ANI)

Washington [US], March 19 (ANI): The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently sent a letter to this year’s nominees announcing that they will not be allowed to participate remotely.
According to Fox News, the Oscars 2021, which will honour the best films of the year on April 25, will be held in person without an option for attendees to participate via video chat.
“We are going to great lengths to provide a safe and enjoyable evening for all of you in person, as well as for all the millions of film fans around the world, and we feel the virtual thing will diminish those efforts,” reads the note.
It was sent by producers Steven Soderbergh, Jesse Collins and Stacy Sher.
The trio explained that there would be on-site coronavirus precautions and testing with different protocols in place for attendees currently in Los Angeles and those that will be travelling in.
Additional elements of the show will be taped live from Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre.
Additionally, each nominee was asked to consent to an interview discussing their journey to award season, as per Fox News.
“We want to highlight the connections between all of us who work in the movies and show that the process is uniquely intimate, collaborative and fun,” reads the letter.
The dress code? Casual wear — which has frequently been seen in remote shows like Jason Sudeikis wearing a sweatshirt for the Golden Globes — is discouraged.
Instead, the letter advises attendees to wear an outfit that’s “a fusion of inspirational and aspirational.”
Additionally, it was suggested that winners “read the room” and “tell a story,” as well as thank people by name rather than their title when it comes to their acceptance speeches.
“The good news is you should be pretty relaxed by show time because you will have been at a pre-show gathering in the Union Station courtyard for the previous ninety minutes with your fellow nominees and their guests,” the note added.
Fox News reported that the announcement follows the Golden Globes, which were marred by technical difficulties that included interruptions of major winners Daniel Kaluuya and Catherine O’Hara’s acceptance speeches. (ANI)

Washington [US], March 19 (ANI): New research by the North Carolina State University suggests that people are more likely to take ‘microbreaks’ at work on days when they’re tired – but that’s not a bad thing. The study found microbreaks seem to help tired employees bounce back from their morning fatigue and engage with their work better over the course of the day.
At issue are microbreaks, which are short, voluntary and impromptu respites in the workday. Microbreaks include discretionary activities such as having a snack, chatting with a colleague, stretching or working on a crossword puzzle.
“A microbreak is, by definition, short,” says Sophia Cho, co-author of a paper on the work and an assistant professor of psychology at North Carolina State University.
“But a five-minute break can be golden if you take it at the right time. Our study shows that it is in a company’s best interest to give employees autonomy in terms of taking microbreaks when they are needed — it helps employees effectively manage their energy and engage in their work throughout the day.”
The new paper is based on two studies that explored issues related to microbreaks in the workday. Specifically, the studies were aimed at improving our understanding of how people boost or maintain their energy levels throughout the day in order to engage with work even when they start the day already exhausted.
The studies also examined which factors might play a role in determining whether people took microbreaks, or what they did during those microbreaks.
The first study surveyed 98 workers in the United States. Study participants were asked to fill out two surveys per day for 10 consecutive workdays. The surveys were completed in the morning and at the end of the workday. The second study included 222 workers in South Korea.
This study had participants complete three surveys per day for five workdays. Study participants completed the surveys in the morning, after lunch and at the end of the workday.
Survey questions in both studies were aimed at collecting data about each study participant’s sleep quality, levels of fatigue, as well as their engagement with their work and their experiences at the workplace that day.
In the studies, the researchers analyzed the survey data with statistical tools to examine day-to-day fluctuations in sleep quality, fatigue, work behavior and engagement in varying types of microbreaks.
The results were straightforward: on days that people were already fatigued when they arrived at work, they tended to take microbreaks more frequently. And taking microbreaks helped them maintain their energy level. This, in turn, helped them meet work demands and engage with work better.
“Basically, microbreaks help you manage your energy resources over the course of the day — and that’s particularly beneficial on days when you’re tired,” Cho says.
In addition, the researchers found that people were more likely to take microbreaks if they felt their employer cared about the health and well-being of its workers.
“When people think their employer cares about their health, they feel more empowered to freely make decisions about when to take microbreaks and what type of microbreaks to take,” Cho says. “And that is ultimately good for both the employer and the employee.” (ANI)