How Writing with AI Exercises Your Brain
Most people feel they “can’t write.” Yet, everyone can experience the process of writing with AI as their collaborator.
Writing with AI is not about AI doing the writing for you but about AI enhancing your writing process.
The result is an experience that exercises your brain in deeply satisfying ways while maintaining your individual creativity and authorship.
Writing stirs emotions, inspires awe, and sometimes feels otherworldly. As someone who has spent decades in technology and education, I’ve always believed in the power of writing to channel my thoughts and ideas. Since late 2022, my collaboration with AI has taken this belief to new heights, helping me think more deeply than ever.
A recent study published in The Journal of Positive Psychology reveals that how people engage with writing is associated with their sense of meaning in life. Specifically, experiencing high levels of awe or interest in writing or attributing supernatural qualities to writing correlates with higher levels of life meaning. This suggests that fostering these writing experiences might be related to enhanced feelings of purpose, coherence, and significance in life.
The Cognitive Contributions of Writing
Writing is valued not only for its aesthetic pleasure but also for its cognitive contributions. It can provide new knowledge and insights, aiding self-understanding and world comprehension. This aligns with the philosophical stance known as Aesthetic Cognitivism, which posits that writing, like art, is valuable for its cognitive contributions. My own journey with AI in writing has illuminated this truth. By engaging deeply with AI-assisted writing tools, I’ve discovered new perspectives and insights that have enriched my understanding of my work and the world around me.
Empirical Studies on Writing and Meaning
Two studies were conducted to explore this phenomenon involving various participant groups — undergraduates, adults interested in writing, and individuals affiliated with writing institutions. Study 1 found awe to be a strong predictor of life meaning, especially among those with formal writing training. Study 2 replicated and extended these findings with a larger, more diverse sample. These studies consistently showed that awe, interest, and supernatural attributions in writing experiences are linked to a heightened sense of life meaning. This correlation was robust among individuals with higher writing expertise.
My Personal Experience with AI and Writing
AI-assisted writing has been a transformative journey of self-discovery and understanding. Collaborating with AI and witnessing my ideas evolve and refine in real time is inspiring and a testament to the potential of AI in writing. This form of collaboration has allowed me to think more deeply and creatively than ever before. The perception of AI as an almost ‘supernatural’ co-author has only enhanced the meaningfulness of these experiences, inspiring me to delve deeper into the world of AI-assisted writing. The future of writing seems stronger than ever.
Inclusivity and Accessibility
AI democratizes writing, breaking down barriers and allowing individuals without formal training to engage deeply with the craft.
This broadens the base of people experiencing the positive psychological effects of writing, making the benefits of meaningful engagement more accessible. By leveraging AI, we can ensure that more people experience a profound sense of purpose and coherence from engaging deeply with writing, regardless of their background. This inclusivity fosters a sense of hope and optimism for the future of writing, as it opens up new pathways to more meaningful and fulfilling lives.
Future Research and Development
Understanding how AI-assisted writing influences life meaning is a fascinating area that can inform the development of AI tools designed to maximize these benefits. The need for future research is clear, and it should employ longitudinal or experimental designs to establish the causality and directionality of these relationships. By expanding the model to include other variables and testing causal and temporal associations, we explore how writing contributes to a more significant impact in life, sparking curiosity and interest.
Writing significantly enhances life’s meaning when experienced with awe or deep interest. My journey with AI-assisted writing has confirmed this and highlighted AI’s immense potential as a creative outlet.
By democratizing access to profound writing experiences, AI can help more people discover the purpose and coherence of engaging deeply with their thoughts and ideas.
It’s a fascinating intersection of technology and creativity that opens new pathways to more meaningful and fulfilling lives.
By understanding these observations and their potential impacts, AI developers and users harness AI as a creative outlet to enhance life’s meaning and contribute to a deeper, more purposeful engagement with writing.
And, yes, I collaborated with AI to write this article.
About the author: Greg Twemlow, Founder of XperientialAI©.
Greg Twemlow: Sharing what I’ve learned from my career of 35 years as a citizen of the world, parent, corporate executive, entrepreneur, and CEO of XperientialAI, focused on experiential learning for maximum impact with AI. Contact Greg: greg@xperiential.ai
