Reading is not simply a small but great daily pleasure ; there are currently studies that show the benefits this activity has for our brain.

There is no activity that does not leave a mark on our nervous system, and reading is no exception. Moreover, as it is a habit that can be incorporated into our daily lives and involves many parts of our brain, its effects can be felt quickly.

So getting into the world of fiction and non-fiction not only makes us look more cultured; it’s also a way to achieve benefits that we’ll enjoy far beyond the public image we project.

The benefits that books bring to the brain

These are some of the positive effects that reading has on our mind , although they need not be the only ones; more could be discovered in time. Science will tell.

1. Makes the brain more interconnected

There is evidence that the habit of reading books makes several groups of neurons in the brain more and better connected to each other. This is at least true of the nerve cells in the left temporal lobe, which are closely related to language management.

In other words, thanks to reading, neurons in our brain will tend to communicate more with each other, establishing stronger links between them. And why is this beneficial? Well, among other things, because it is known that a more interconnected brain causes the symptoms of dementia to be appeased .

This means that although the passage of time can cause many neurons to die, having created many available communication pathways, our brain learns to “bypass” damaged pathways by resorting to others.

2. Makes us pack more and better

It has also been observed that reading fiction books, which have one or several main characters, makes the neurons of the motor sensory zone of the central groove better communicated , which is linked to a greater capacity to put themselves in other people’s shoes. One of the most unsuspected benefits of reading

Somehow, reading books makes us feel identified with what the characters do, getting to imagine ourselves doing what they do. This fact makes the readings become an empathy enhancer.

3. Helps overcome stress

There is evidence that reading on a regular basis allows us to introduce a small oasis of peace into our lives, a few moments of calm in which we experience sensations similar to those produced by meditation.

In fact, there is reason to believe that, in terms of its stress-reducing power, reading is even more effective than going for a walk or listening to music . An interesting conclusion that encourages us to disconnect from the classic pleasure of reading.

4. It allows us to sleep better

Assuming that reading is a ritual before going to sleep can make it easier for our brain to fall asleep and therefore have better health and time to repair itself.

What explains this is that reading fiction is a way of disconnecting from our daily worries , and that means it allows our attention to be released from obligations, problems with work, etc.

Reading is, in short, a good way to stop rumination, and it makes us more capable of avoiding falling into those thoughts that put us on alert all the time. This makes it less likely for our brain to remain active when trying to find solutions to our worries, something that sounds good in theory but that in practice keeps us awake, making us more and more tired and having greater difficulty in maintaining our concentration.

5. Books help us exercise our memory

Regular reading of poetry has been shown to have an effect on our ability to remember elements, something that also happens with music. The key is that helps us to link information with a certain type of emotional state generated by the reading of the verses , and this allows us to remember better.

In other words, emotions act as clues that lead us to certain kinds of memories associated with them, something that is closely related to the discoveries about memory that psychologist Gordon Bower made a few decades ago.

Bibliographic references:

  • Rayner, K.: “Eye movements in reading and information processing: 20 years of research.” Psychological Bulletin.
  • The Wall Street Journal: Bibliotherapy: Reading Your Way To Mental Health.