Everybody who knows me knows that I love to read. And many times I have read books that were literally life changing. I read one such book just this past month. But what if I said that reading positively affects your brain activity in even more life changing ways than what the content in the book did for you?
So how does reading positively affect your brain activity? There are several measurable ways that I have looked into and will talk about here. They include:
- More connections between parts of your brain
- Biologically putting yourself in someone else’s shoes
- Material that you learn allows your brain to define you as a person
- Heightened connectivity in your brain long after finishing what you read
- Increase in brain capacity
- Rewiring of your brain
- Increase in empathy
Before we begin tackling this list, I would like to touch a little bit on the research I did as well as the statistics that brought me to be interested in how reading positively affects your brain activity.
Table of Contents
The Research
These results came from a fascinating study that was done at Emory University. It consisted of 21 students who read a harrowing novel in regular increments over several days. They got frequent fMRI’s before, during, and then after reading an assigned number of pages over several days. You can get all the details of the study by clicking here.
The results of the study were amazing–well beyond what I would have thought were normal brain reactions. It was astounding to me that when reading a well written book, your brain can actually respond as though it were actually experiencing that passage in real life.
I have certainly felt fully immersed in a book many times, but seeing how it plays out in the brain was pretty incredible to me. As I go through the list of things I learned about the brain’s function regarding books, I am sure you will be equally astounded by what our brains actually do!
The Statistics
Statistics are showing a sharp decline in kids that are reading for fun. Unfortunately, the same is showing to be true for adults as well. The main culprit that is being blamed is technology, that double edged sword that we can’t live without, but yet disrupts life in more ways than we care to think about.
Scholastic does an excellent report on kids and family reading on a regular basis. You can access their latest 113-page report here. I also summarized it in the charts below.
The good news about this is that children are still reading at a pretty steady level and enjoying it, in spite of today’s distractions.
So now that we can see how much our students are enjoying reading, let’s now look at the specifics of what reading is doing to their brains!
More Connections Between Parts of Your Brain
According to an article called The Reading Brain, found on scientificamerican.com, reading allows us to connect several parts of our brain. It says, “About a third of our brain is specialized in analyzing things that we see. This part of the brain is also known as the visual system. This system is based in the cortex, the folded surface of the brain. Areas of the visual system lie in occipital cortex and parts of temporal and parietal cortices.
“Other parts of the brain help us understand and produce language (to speak). These parts are located mostly in the left hemisphere, or the left half of the brain. Regions for understanding language are found in left temporal cortex, and regions for producing language are found in left frontal cortex. When we read, both the visual system and the language regions are involved: the visual system examines what the words look like, and the language regions tell us what they mean.
“A third part of the brain links the visual system and the language regions together. We will call this region the wordbox, but it is also known as visual word form area. This area of the brain translates visual shape information (what words look like: a string of round symbols with straight lines) into meaningful information that our language regions can understand and further work with. Basically, the wordbox is a brain region that is specialized in knowing what written words look like.”
Biologically Putting Yourself in Someone Else’s Shoes
This seems weird and not possible, but it is just one way that shows how amazing our brains are.
What happens here is that there are neurons that are associated with the action that you are reading about in the book. This causes your brain to feel as though it is actually doing the activity and not just reading about it.
That is how books get to be so addictive, especially when it is a book that really speaks to us. So next time you are totally into that book you are reading, pay attention to how your brain is reacting to what you are reading. It will be even more amazing to be conscious of what is going on when you are paying attention to it.
Material That You Learn Allows Your Brain to Define You as a Person
Throughout history, reading has been thought to make us more moral, especially when reading material that promotes moral concepts. But as it turns out, the truth could be even more fundamental than that.
The concept that has now been proven by science is that deep reading (slow, immersive, careful reading of a text as opposed to skimming or just reading to get the general gist of what you are reading) can actually change the way your brain thinks and believes based on the fact that deep reading allows us to empathize with characters and situations (more on that below). This in turn allows us to become more intelligent and kind as a person.
So not only can we say “you are what you eat,” but we can also say, “you are what you read.”
If we think about this, it definitely does ring true that when you immerse yourself in a certain kind of reading it does define the way you think about things. This is indeed a pretty significant way that reading positively affects your brain activity.
Heightened Connectivity in Your Brain Long After Finishing What You Read
This was found during the Emory University study. The left temporal cortex as well as the central sulcus of the brain (the primary sensor part of the brain) showed continued heightened connectivity even though at the time the fMRI was taken they were no longer reading and had stopped some time before.
We experience this when we have a bad dream that stays with us throughout the following day or even beyond. We also experience this when we read a book that really hits us where we live and we carry that feeling with us for several days after.
And finally, this is the sensation that actually makes us feel as though we are doing the physical activity that we are reading about when we become so engrossed in a good book.
Increase in Brain Capacity
This is such a good benefit to reading, especially in a world where shorter attention spans seem to dominate. Working with technology can actually harm the brain’s ability to stay focused and not jump around as they go from one screen to another in record time.
As the reader gets engrossed in the book they are reading, they are following a plot line that they feel the need to know what happens next. This follows through from the beginning to the end of the book (assuming the book is a good read). And this actually allows their brain to want to keep on going.
So that explains why us readers just can’t put down our books!
Rewiring of Your Brain
A study done in 2009 by Marcel Just and Timothy Keller showed that intense reading of a book by children causes the brain to rewire itself. This actually produces more white matter. The increased white matter actually improves communication in the brain based on more wiring between the various parts.
The flip side of this science is that for children that are having difficulty in their brain activity, additional reading instruction over time will allow the students to actually develop more wiring in their brain. This will in turn greatly improve their brain function over time.
Increase in Empathy
Of all of the ways that reading positively affects your brain activity, this one is by far my favorite.
The reason this works so well is that when the reader is so engrossed in the experiences of the characters, they actually mentally insert themselves into the lives of the characters. This allows them to feel the events of the books as though they were there with the people or actually the people themselves. And as they sympathize with the feelings of the characters, they actually feel those feelings themselves.
This also transfers into the readers’ real-life relationships. And that is such a beautiful thing. They are learning to relate to others by the experiences that they have through books.
The one caution here is that younger readers especially need reading material that encourages healthy relationships or a healthy perspective towards bad situations that they read about.
Check out this short video that really explains well how reading can change your brain.
Conclusion
So this is in a nutshell how reading positively affects your brain activity. This subject is far broader than I can cover in a blog post, though.
And now I really want to read the book that the subjects in the Emory University study read (Pompeii by Robert Harris–this links to Amazon). In order for the study to be so fascinating, the book had to be amazing!
Are there any ways that you have seen the benefits of reading affect your brain in some positive way, whether in yourself or someone you know? I would love to hear what your experience has been. Feel free to comment below.
If you liked this article, you may enjoy reading these related articles as well:
Why We Should Read Aloud to Middle School Students
Creative Reading Activities: The Classroom Reinvented
Why Does Curriculum Need to Change?
12 Ways to Improve Reading Skills
How Reading Books is Different From Watching Movies
7 Styles of Learning and How They Apply to Your Students
I need to have my kids do some more reading. I too need to read more
I absolutely agree that reading books has a positive effect on one’s brain. That is why when it comes to younger ones, my younger cousins aged 7- 13 for example, who are way into mobile games, I would gift them books or lend my books. I would like them to read an actual book, too.
This is a great way to redirect kids from games to books!
Yes! Reading is the best. I always have a book beside me. I wish my kids loved reading more. I always had books around them, but it’s never been their favorite thing, sadly.
Some of my kids love to read and others not so much. Most of them love it if I can get them to settle down long enough to read. They just don’t pick it first.
I love reading! I can read up to 8 books a month! I find that it can really help to relax and unwind! it is also great to stimulate the imagination!
Oh I love this! I’ve been a reader ever since I learned how to read and it’s one of my favorite things about me. Good to know it’s got a lot of positives!
It has way more than I was able to write about! It was a really fun post to research for.
I’ve been meaning to write something about this but you’ve summed it up so well! I truly believe reading can help us not only unwind but exercise our minds at the same time.
Reading is so perfect, isn’t it?
I do agree that reading books helps to enhance the mind. I love to read and I feel you learn a lot about the world in general.
I love to read and have added reading to my daily routine because I enjoy gaining information. It’s such an important part of my life; especially as a writer.
I’m not surprised. My husband is always telling me to read to keep my brain sharp. I’ve loved reading ever since I was a kid.
Your husband is a wise man, Lisa! I have always loved reading too. 🙂
They are actually good points to take note. What we read also radiates
Very true, Solrazo! ♥
For a person who barely reads, i’ve taken the liberty to start my reading journey this month for the sole purpose of positive mindset vibes. Thanks for the read! You covered it all.
Thanks, Antony! I hope you read some great stuff and it inspires you to keep going!
I do like that reading helps to improve the attention span of people who struggle to focus and that it helps the brain’s ability to link cause and effect
It’s pretty amazing, Rachel!
I couldn’t agree more! reading is such a blessing
I believe that positive reading can help everyone but is great to have students doing this practice it will help them in their self-esteem in the long run
Reading is of utmost importance, whether it is the newspaper or someone’s blog. There is always so much to gain by reading.
Read activities the centers of creativity and inventiveness in the smallest as in the largest. It’s life!
Very true, Cristina!
Absolutely fascinating to me, and makes me want to reach for a book… However, reading blog posts counts too, right?
It sure does!!!
What a fantastic and fascinating article. I love everything you mentioned. Might I add that it is relaxing too? When my son was in highschool, he wasn’t able to fall asleep at night until he had about 20 minutes of quiet reading. He said that it helped him relax before bed. Me too!
Yes! What a perfect addition to all of the other benefits. I read to my son at night and he begs me to keep going until he falls asleep. And it is about 20 minutes, just like for you all.
That is awesome…Honestly I had no idea but I am super excited about applying the positive thinking, I need to.
I have never been an avid reader..have got many books but didn’t finish many of them. But yes, reading at a younger age definitely helps
Reading in your older years is also beneficial! Pick those books back up!!!! 🙂
I am a finicky reader and if the book doesn’t grab me right away i cant stay in it. but my husband is an avid reader. the difference in our levels of knowledge are insane. we are both smart but he has this endless amount of knowledge both useful and useless! he is so intelligent and i love it! so i fully encourage reading with our kids. they want a book we buy it.
Very true, Tia. And I have never said no when one of my kids wanted to buy a book. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
I totally believe these for sure! Reading books makes me think more and also learn new words too
I never knew that reading would spark emotions like joy, empathy, and positive thinking. I always was told that reading would make my language skills better. And also help me to be creative.
Reading is so good for us in so many ways!
i absolutely love to read and it makes me sad that kids aren’t reading for fun anymore. I started reading to my kids very young and even when they got older we would read chapter books together.
Yeah technology has certainly changed the way we take in information. We like it in smaller bits and tend to get bored more quickly.
This is a great post! With so many benefits to something that we tend to genuinely enjoy doing, I feel like there’s no reason not to include more reading time in our schedules… I mean, what do we have to lose? Right? I know that I’ve been spending more time reading as of late and loving the fact that it gives me that ‘me time’ to just escape and relax.
That’s awesome! I was hoping to get more time to read, but for right now, I am still way over my head in work, lol. Maybe someday. I will get to the day that I can sit on the beach and finish a whole book!
This was such an interesting read! Stay positive!
Amazing how important it is to make reading a habit. I remember when I start reading everyday when I was like 12 it certantly changed the way I used to see the world and gave me a big boost to my imagination
I love that you included all of this scientific data. I’ve always known that reading was good for the mind, but I never knew exactly how.
Your posts are always so informative! Me and my husband love to read and we were so happy when our daughter learned to read too. She loves to read! I had no idea that reading helps kids to rewire their brain.
Reading is really and really important. I agree with you completely. I read a lot, not only books but various articles. I do a lot of research on any topic and that inspires me to read more. My son also loves reading and even my husband.
These are the kinds of article we truly need. What we read works in our mind and shapes our behaviour and in turn our lifetyle just as what we watch influences our lifestyle. Reading books comes with lots of inspiration and help to boost the brain as well.
You are right about all of that!
So very true. I love reading but had no idea how beneficial it is all around!
I have read many articles that support your idea, this one hits the spot, thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Madaku!
reading can definitely have a strong impact on your brain activity and personality. Some are positive – others can be very negative.
I wish this article was longer! Such a fascinating read! I never considered these psychological affects before, especially empathy. Please post a part 2 to this !
Thank you! I will do some research for a part 2. 🙂
READING CAN IMPROVE OUR MEMORY. When you read, you’re engaging more than a few brain functions, such as phonemic awareness, visual and auditory processes, comprehension, fluency, and more. Reading jolts your brain into action, maintains concentration, and allows your mind to process the events happening before you.
You are exactly right, Monidipa. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
more reasons to LOVE reading. I find it an awesome activity, it is so much fun!
I agree, Lyosha. It’s always nice to know there are great benefits to something we already love doing.
I think reading gives optimism especially if you love what you are reading. It’s nice!
You are absolutely right, Emman! Thank you for sharing.
This was so interesting to read! I have always loved the experience that reading provides… it takes me to other worlds and like you said, putting myself into other people’s shoes. I never knew about all the added value!
It’s pretty awesome to think about! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Ronnie!
I never really thought about it this way but I can how reading is good for your brain! I love reading!
So many good effects and healthy benefits to reading and I always encourage kids to do so. a big no no is to keep a good distance from the eye and books when reading – not like the photos above!!! – Knycx Journeying
Good info to know. Thanks!
Love love love this since I am a reader myself. So happy that it’s validated now.
I have always loved to read books because it’s a very relaxing thing to do! I’m so glad that it also has many positive side effects and that i could boost my mental health in a nice manner 🙂
I think all of us reading lovers love seeing this research!
These are all really good reasons to read as an adult. I wonder if there are any adverse things that could happen from reading certain genres.
I don’t know about the adverse part–maybe PTSD from horror books? 🙂
I always love reading and you have really told the positive impact of that…! 😊
It’s important to develop a good reading habit at a young age. Helps your thinking to evolve.
I don’t read that many books anymore like I used to but I have been reading more articles and blog posts 🙂
Reading is essential for the development of the brain but also the fitness of the brain. I consider it a form of neuroplasticity exercise.
You are absolutely right, Steven! Thanks for sharing.
this is very true, I think reading has helped me alot in lockdown to think possitively, learn you things and important skills to keep my mind active while indoors. apart from learning to cook at home is useful too, but i do love to read
Reading different books definitely helps in improving the skills and knowledge …well this blog post is truly very informative and interesting one for every of the reader..glad you shared it..
Thank you, Teerath!
This is such great information. I used to be so good about reading, I have fallen into the media trap, and now just watch things on YouTube, and on the TV.
It’s nice of you to bring to our attention the many benefits of reading positively. We sure need a lot of empathy in the world right now.
Our family are huge readers. It’s the one thing I personally can do to relax, no matter where I am.
Rewiring your brain and improving the connections on there are really great effects. Definitely agree on the holistic impact of reading as it also enhances our way of relating to people and practicing empathy.
No doubt that reading will have a positive results in our brain. The more reading you are doing the more knowledge you will get. Now, I need to read more so my kids give more time on their reading.
This is interesting! Who knew that reading offered so many health benefits
Oh yes, if there anything I can vouch for when it is in “trouble”, it is reading. Reading has saved me many more times than I can remember, it has introduced me to sides of life I never knew existed and has greatly shaped how I interact with people.
I think reading gives more knowledge especially if you love what you are reading. It also helps you stimulate your imagination and cognitive development.