Next time you are studying, at work, or learning something new, try ditching the notes and pick up a doodle pad instead.

Drawing what we learn encourages us to integrate memories through organising the new information into a coherent structure, adding it to the existing relevant knowledge in our long-term memories, according to research published in Contemporary Educational Psychology.

So if you're trying to get your head around something difficult, don't worry about getting funny looks as you scribble some shapes or diagrams onto your pad – drawing might just aid your comprehension.

Photograph: iStock