A brain sharp like a razor
Can’t get your thoughts together? Focusing on a single task sometimes borders on the miraculous? Regular reading is the best and extremely enjoyable investment in high concentration. Reading books is a real workout for neurons hidden in the brain that are automatically stimulated into action. Reading improves your ability to memorize, as well as your ability to use logical language.
As it turns out, the advantage of reading over listening to radio shows or podcasts lies in the breaks and reflections, the length and frequency of which are decided by ourselves, stopping for a longer or shorter moment over a given page. This trains the brain more intensively than when we involuntarily listen to a broadcast program.
Research shows that people who read frequently have significantly less trouble during public speaking. This is determined by better memory, richer vocabulary, and familiarity with different situations.
These observations are also confirmed by prof. Jan Konopacki from the Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz: “Through reading we enrich our vocabulary, improve our ability to use logical language, and we have more empathy and imagination. Reading changes our neuronal substrate – the number of synapses grows. The neural substrate is our basis for thoughts, feelings and actions, housed in the activity of the brain and nervous system”*.
Higher intelligence and sensitivity
Reading literature and poetry enriches us with new experiences as we follow the lives of the characters and thus develops our empathy and judgment, and on top of that, increases our IQ levels. A study published in the Science journal proves that literary fiction can help readers understand what other people are feeling and thinking. This is a key skill in establishing lasting and complex social relationships.
Natalie Phillips, a professor at Michigan State University, has also studied the sensitivity level of readers, coming to the observation that while reading, the brain behaves as if we are characters in a book. Reading poetry, on the other hand, affects the brain centers responsible for experiencing emotions**.
The fact that reading is an investment in intelligence is also proven by the observations of children, who start their engaging adventure with reading from an early age. Contact with vocabulary through reading undeniably translates into better performance on cognitive tests, as well as higher intelligence and better developed mental abilities later in life.
Calming and protecting against cognitive disorders
Reading is not only a guarantee of a more efficient brain, but it is also a unique simple way to regulate stress levels and counteract cognitive disorders in the future.
David Lewis, PhD, of Mindlab International at the University of Sussex, noted that “an engaging book can lower cortisol levels and reduce stress by up to 70 percent after just a few minutes of reading, which is great for helping with sleep, for example”***.
And Dr. Robert Freidland’s research shows that the risk of Alzheimer’s is more than twice as low for people who read regularly than for those who don’t.
Getting to know yourself and your emotions better
The amazing influence of books on the ability to observe one’s own emotional states is evidenced by the formation of bibliotherapy, a therapy based on the use of books in regulating the nervous system and the human psyche.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool have shown that a shared reading therapy helped participants manage chronic pain. Reading worked in a similar way to the cognitive behavioral therapy often used in such cases and allowed the patient to better cope with the pain-induced emotions. That’s why there are already eight countries in the world where books are issued on prescription!
Dr. Wanda Matras-Mastalerz, President of the Polish Bibliotherapy Society, assistant professor at the Institute of Information Sciences of the Pedagogical University of Krakow, also emphasizes the invaluable benefits of regular reading: “reading influences various competence areas: concentration, analytical thinking, communication, emotional intelligence, knowledge, imagination, adaptation, and relaxation. To me, if someone says they don’t like reading, it means they haven’t come across their book yet.”****
We have made use of the following publications:
*https://biuroprasowe-uni-lodz.prowly.com/29024-ul-komentuje-dlaczego-nasz-mozg-lubi-czytanie
** https://zwierciadlo.pl/psychologia/72852,1,jak-czytanie-wplywa-na-mozg-.read
***https://naukatolubie.pl/jak-czytanie-wplywa-na-mozg/
**** https://zdrowie.pap.pl/psyche/czytanie-ksiazek-siedem-korzysci-dla-zdrowia