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This Is Why Reading Is So Important for
Your Brain
The Healthy:
1.29.2020 by Marc Peyser
Reading isn’t just filling your head—it’s
nourishing it. This is the latest science on the magic of books.
You can take fish oil supplements or eat
lots of turmeric. You can invest in a language class, puzzle books, or a few
hours of exercise every week. There are countless methods to (allegedly)
improve your memory and cognitive functioning—the brain-training and
-assessment industry is expected to reach $8 billion
by 2022, according to a major market research report. But the cheapest,
easiest, and most time-tested way to sharpen your brain is right in front of
your face. It’s called reading.
The fact that reading is good for your
brain isn’t surprising—there’s a reason moms are always on their kids’ cases to
turn off the TV and pick up a good book. But there’s something astounding about
how such an ordinary activity can improve your brain in so many ways.
The most basic impact occurs in the area
associated with language reception, the left temporal cortex. Processing
written material—from the letters to the words to the sentences to the stories
themselves—snaps the neurons to attention as they start the work of
transmitting all that information. That happens when we process spoken
language, too, but the very nature of reading encourages the brain to work
harder and better. “Typically, when you read, you have more time to think,”
says Maryanne
Wolf, EdD, director of the UCLA Center for
Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice. “Reading gives you a unique
pause button for comprehension and insight. By and large, with oral
language—when you watch a film or listen to a tape—you don’t press pause.”
And the benefits of reading continue
long after you’ve put down that great book. A small study at Emory University
found that some of those benefits persisted for five days. “We call that a
shadow activity, almost like a muscle memory,” says Gregory
Berns, PhD, director of the Center for Neuropolicy
at Emory. In fact, this is how reading in a certain font can improve your
memory.
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The benefits continue long after you've
put down that book.
OK, you say, it’s hardly surprising that
the language part of the brain would get a workout from reading. But reading
also energizes the region responsible for motor activity, the central sulcus.
That’s because the brain is a very exuberant play actor. When it is reading about
a physical activity, the neurons that control that activity get busy as well.
You may not actually be riding a horse when you’re reading Seabiscuit, but your
brain acts as if it is. And the more parts of your brain that get a workout,
the better it is for your overall cognitive performance. READ
MORE ➤➤
Based on (7) readability formulas:
Grade Level: 10
Reading Level: standard / average.
Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. old
(Ninth to
Tenth graders)
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