WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BRAIN WHEN YOU READ?
A book can inspire creativity and critical thinking, increase empathy, and offer plenty of other incentives to go and enjoy some word power. Some of the benefits everyone can enjoy from books are
READING IS THE SAME AS EXPERIENCING IT
According to research by Emory University, reading increases the activity in the brain’s central sulcus, which controls our motor skills. If you read a passage where a character is walking along a path, the activity from the neurons in this area makes you feel as though you are experiencing the walk yourself. And there is grounded cognition; a concept that proves that reading puts you in someone else’s shoes.
BOOKS PROVIDE MENTAL STIMULATION
Reading changes the structure of your brain. Mentally stimulating your brain on a daily basis can help slow down diseases like Alzheimer’s and Dementia. It is like exercise for your brain; the more you move, the better shape you are in. Just like your body in order for your brain to stay healthy and alert, it also needs exercise. Reading keeps your activity levels high and your brain power strong.
READING REDUCES STRESS LEVELS
When you make reading a habit, it is easier for your brain to relax and get rid of stress and overthinking. If you are looking for an easy way to destress and relax, try to make reading a habit. Studies show that reading fiction helps people to reduce stress.
READING MAKES US EMPATHETIC
Fiction readers have a higher ability to empathize with other people’s emotions than those who are readers of nonfiction. In simple words, fiction readers can be more empathetic and have an easier time seeing a situation from different perspectives, just by reading about their favorite characters. Reading for beginners can be uncomfortable but your brain adapts to reading within a week. It also allows you to create your own world in your mind and you automatically start making pictures in your mind.
READING CAN IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY
When you read, you engage in more than a few brain functions, for example, phonemic awareness, visual and auditory processes, comprehension, fluency, and many more. Reading can jolt your brain into action, maintain concentration, and also allows your brain to process the events happening before you. The more you read and engage that part of your brain, the easier it is to keep your memory stronger.
