
How using gestures can make you smarter - robg
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=with-a-wave-of-the-hand
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jamesbritt
I've noticed that various physical activities alter how I think.

Typing out comments in code prior to writing the code or tests (i.e. comment-
driven development) helps me think better about what I want to do than simply
sitting and musing inside my head. Maybe it's the typing, maybe it's being
forced to actually find words for what I think I'm thinking.

Same goes for drawing stuff on a white board. The physical act of standing up,
moving my arms, pacing around in front of the board, all seem to alter my
thinking.

Finally, I seem to be better able to find stuff in my house if I move my
fingers a lot while wandering around looking. Seems to help me focus.

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bayareaguy
Gestures obviously play a role in communicating very simple concepts like "pay
close attention", "look at this", "stop a moment" or "hurry up" when the
speaker is playing the role of a guide. However I strongly doubt they have a
positive correlation with deep understanding on the audience's part. If
anything I suspect they more often serve to distract, confuse, misdirect or
supply a false sense of understanding. Consider the antics of a stage magician
whose gestures are purposely deceptive.

I generally distrust anyone who relies on gestures to communicate their point,
e.g. <http://images.google.com/images?q=Henry+Paulson>

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jyothi
Very interesting research.

A very explicit & clear observation: Playing Dumb charades: enact movie names
or phrases. I find myself far more creative by the end of game. Out of the box
thinking comes so naturally post that.

