I usual doodle when I am in long meetings or presentations
I tell people it helps me concentrate, muttering something about "stimulating the left side of my brain." I'm not sure if there really are any benefits, but I'm sure it doesn't have any downsides either.
When my colleagues see the sketches they sometimes say - "what are you doing working here?" which can have several meanings depending on whether you stress the 'you' or the 'here'...