It is considered the height of bad manners to be doodling and scribbling on a piece of paper while someone is talking to you.

It signals boredom and lack of attention but drawing shapes and symbols while listening actually helps you to remember the details of what you are told, scientists have discovered.

Doodlers remembered an average of 7.5 names of people and places compared to 5.8 of the non-doodlers

Volunteers who were asked to shade in shapes while listening to a dull telephone message recalled 29 per cent more details than those told not to draw, in an experiment carried out by researchers at the University of Plymouth.

After the two and a half minute tape was finished they were asked to recall the eight names of people who were going to a party and eight place names from a list on the recording.

The doodlers remembered an average of 7.5 names of people and places compared to 5.8 of the non-doodlers.

The findings were reported today in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology.

Professor Jackie Andrade said: "If someone is doing a boring task, like listening to a dull telephone conversation, they may start to daydream.

"Daydreaming distracts them from the task, resulting in poorer performance. A simple task, like doodling, may be sufficient to stop daydreaming without affecting performance on the main task.

"This study suggests that in everyday life doodling may be something we do because it helps to keep us on track with a boring task, rather than being an unnecessary distraction that we should try to resist doing."

The research coincides with National Doodle Day, a charity event organised by Epilepsy Action and the Neurofibromatosis Association