In addition, paying continuous attention places a strain on the brain, and doodling may be just the break your brain needs to keep attending without losing total interest.

The permission to 'free-draw' keeps your brain online just a little while longer. Doodling keeps you from falling asleep, or simply staring blankly when your brain has already turned off. Doodling (a form of fidgeting) may be a last-ditch attempt at staying awake and attentive. When you're bored, your fight-or-flight system will do all that it can to rally and stay alert. While there are no definitive reasons for why this occurred, we are learning more about how this can happen. Surprisingly, when both groups were asked to recall details from the call, those that doodled were better at paying attention to the message and recalling the details. They were not aware that their memories would be tested after the call. Half of the group doodled while they did this (they shaded in a shape), and the other half did not. In 2009, psychologist Jackie Andrade asked 40 people to monitor a 2-½ minute dull and rambling voice mail message.

Yet, recent research has shown that doodling is not an enemy of attention it may in fact be a friend. Traditionally, we have thought of these doodles as a sign of distraction - an indication that your mind was not where it was supposed to be. Even American presidents have found themselves sketching away: 26 of 44 American Presidents doodled, from Theodore Roosevelt, who doodled animals and children, to Ronald Reagan, who doodled cowboys and football players, and John F.

Follow me on Twitter you ever found yourself listening to something really boring, then wafting off into your own mind, your hand scribbling random things on a piece of paper in front of you? Whether it's a conference call or a tedious lecture, being all ears can be a challenge when your hands want to be a part of the moment.

The doodle institute