Does Reading Really Affect Your Brain?

Exercise your brain

There are two main ways in which reading affects your brain: improved vocabulary and a better ability to visualize. It’s true that more reading helps you to recognize words faster, but it also helps you expand your vocabulary, especially if you read books that are challenging or out of your genre.

(For example, science fiction is known for having complicated vocabulary.) And when it comes to visualizing what’s going on in a book, an argument can be made that reading requires even more imagination than TV or film because so much must be left up to you.

This is why getting kids interested in reading is important! You don’t have to know everything about a book before diving into it. A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen from Game of Thrones.

And if you ask us, that’s a pretty fascinating notion. This is why we went to our friend (and brain expert) Rich McDaniel for answers on how reading affects your brain — as well as how you can use it to live better each day. Here’s what he had to say

How many books have you read lately? If your answer is less than 10, you’re not alone — the average American reads only three books a year. That’s one book every four months.

Or about one book per season of Game of Thrones (sorry for those who haven’t gotten their fix yet). A recent study showed that half of Americans haven’t picked up a single book in over a year. This is bad news if you want to stay sharp.

Creative thinking with reading

You can’t just read whatever you like — you have to pick your genre carefully. Some genres are better for engaging your creativity than others. Literary fiction, for example, has been shown to help free up associative thinking.

Try reading Dostoyevsky (The Brothers Karamazov is one of his easier works), Kafka (Metamorphosis is a good choice), or Flaubert (Madame Bovary will make you cry but it will also help you become more creative).

Non-fiction books that focus on solving problems are particularly effective at enhancing problem-solving skills and improving decision-making. Science and math books can challenge your brain.

By providing interesting information that requires deeper levels of cognition than what you’re accustomed to as an adult. The reading brain seems to be more connected than other brains.

Researchers have found that in comparison to non-readers, people who read frequently are better at processing information and making decisions quickly.

The reading brain also appears to activate a more widespread network of brain regions during both cognitive tasks (like problem-solving) and creative ones (like coming up with new ideas).

And some researchers believe that reading can help you develop a more flexible mind. A 2006 study in Brain and Cognition showed that reading can increase creativity and critical thinking skills in both children and adults.

Improve attention span with reading

Now, before we start listing all of these benefits, let’s get one thing clear — reading a novel will not give you skills or abilities that will help you at work. You won’t suddenly be able to answer your email faster or better.

But what reading can do is give you a more creative mindset. By letting your mind wander and take in new ideas and thoughts, reading helps cultivate your imagination, making it easier for you to think outside of conventional ways when problem-solving.

And yes, research shows that reading science fiction can even make you a better manager. It’s no secret that reading is great for your mind, but did you know it also improves attention span and memory?

If you’re working hard to stay focused on your studies, pick up a good book. The more difficult or lengthy a text is, the greater effect it will have on your brain. Researchers believe reading novels can even make us more creative!

Because reading is such a complex mental activity, it can help improve attention span and memory. Reading tasks require you to actively engage with the text, which increases blood flow to your brain’s frontal cortex.

Boost memory power with reading

Research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science found that regular reading leads to better cognitive functioning in older adults.

Specifically, those who read for an hour a day performed significantly better on tests designed to measure attention and memory than non-readers.

While previous research has shown that reading is beneficial for our brains (who doesn’t like being called well-read?).

It was unclear how much reading was required to produce these benefits. The results of their study suggest that 15 minutes might be sufficient, but more research needs to be done to confirm what kind of effect different types of books have on cognitive functioning.

One way to boost your memory power is to read more. Reading books that stimulate your brain and cause you to think about what you are reading can greatly improve your memory, making it easier for you to retain information from everyday life and use it in future situations.

This is one of many reasons why reading is one of the most important activities. By exposing yourself to a variety of literature, you are not only improving your language skills but also using your brain in new ways.

This can boost memory power and help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The next time you need to remember something, crack open a book!

Language skills improvement with reading

In today’s hyper-connected, super fast-paced world, children may sometimes feel that they need to be on their cellphones 24/7 or have an iPad in their hands. However, reading a book is a much different experience.

Not only do you have to think about what you are reading and how it relates to other things that you know but there is also a wonderful feeling of solitude when you curl up with a good book.

As individuals age and pass into old age, cognitive problems can arise due to inadequate blood flow (and other factors). People suffering from conditions such as dementia should not stop reading!

They should increase their exposure to texts by doing things like listening to audiobooks or scanning pictures in books for deeper comprehension.

The human brain is far from a finished product, with decades of development to undergo long after we finish school.

Because of its remarkable plasticity, it’s theoretically possible for people to change and improve their neural processes as they age — but only if certain conditions are met.

The first major condition for neural plasticity involves cognitive stimulation. In order to be receptive to learning new concepts and stimuli, your brain needs a constant supply of new information.

People who read a lot tend to be very well-versed in vocabulary and language usage. The more you read, especially in your areas of interest, the more your vocabulary expands.