Reading Benefits

Today, reading a book does not seem to be as common. Other forms of news, information, and entertainment such podcasts, TED talks and YouTube videos have become much more popular. With that said, there is a growing body of scientific literature that suggests reading books may be more important than we realize for enhancing certain parts of our brains and delaying the onset of dementia.

While the research is still in its early stages, when brain waves were scanned, scientists found that when you read about a character playing tennis, areas of your brain light up as if you were physically out there on the court yourself. When you read about fictional characters very different from yourself, it boosts areas of your brain associated with emotional intelligence, — helping you to understand what others are thinking by reading their emotions. Researchers also found that deep reading, when you get really absorbed in a book, builds up our ability to focus and grasp complex ideas.

As a child, learning to read has profound impacts on brain development, creating a specialized area in your left ventral occipital temporal region, increased verbal memory and thickening your corpus callosum, which is the information highway that connects the left and right hemispheres of your brain. Exposure to vocabulary through reading leads to higher scores on general tests of intelligence for children.

Research published in Neurology suggests that regular reading may slow the inevitable decline in memory and brain function as we age. Frequent brain exercise — deep reading, but also playing chess or working puzzles — was shown to lower mental decline by 32 percent. And people who engaged in brain exercise were 2.5 times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who were not.

The bottom line is that continuous reading is a way to continuously rewire your brain to become more effective and efficient. It allows you to strengthen your ability to imagine alternative scenarios, remember details and think through complex problems. It doesn’t just make you more knowledgeable — you can get that from a TED talk. Reading makes us all functionally smarter.

Sources:
https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/reading-books-brain-chemistry.html
https://www.realsimple.com/health/preventative-health/benefits-of-reading-real-books