What Really Happens to Your Brain When You Read

Living in a society of nuances means we cannot claim many absolutes. It is difficult to distinguish what foods are good for your health or how much sleep we need, because it is dependent on the person and the study. Experts and enterprises will always have conflicting information about most topics, but sometimes, the data is too strong to deny.

The benefit of reading is arguably one of the world’s few absolutes; one of the few things we know for sure is vital for emotional, mental, and psychological well-being. More than this, reading shapes our brains for the better.

A Brief History of Literacy

Around five thousand years ago, in the civilization of Mesopotamia, exist the first traces of literacy and reading. First there were symbols, then words, and eventually sentences. Humans needed a means to communicate, a means to codify knowledge and history for their own societies and the societies to come.

Reading is powerful – another absolute. We hear it all the time, how education is the key to better wellbeing, a combatant against inequality, and a means to a better life and understanding of the world. It is empowerment embodied, and its worth should never be undervalued.

How Reading Shapes the Brain

The benefit of reading is not limited to academic pieces or scholarly articles. Whether your hands are clutching a fictitious Stephen King thriller or a weathered copy of Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, your brain will thank you for it. Scientists have studied the brain extensively, looking at what activities and stimulus light up what areas of the brain.

When we read, our brain is like the New York City skyline. Bright, illustrious, and engaged. Reading activates several areas of your mind, with some studies suggesting that the further you read into a book, the more stimulated the brain becomes. These activations don’t just appear during the process of reading but persist for even days after. The benefits are there to stay. 

The Boston Children’s Hospital conducted research that found reading could create new neural networks and improved neural circuity in the brain. Simply put, reading literally deepens the brain’s comprehension, memory, and problem-solving skills. Not only is it a fascinating and engaging activity, but it is undoubtedly one of the best ways to protect your brain.

Reading in the Age of Short Attention Spans

While modernity might have brought access to a plethora of information, it has shrunk our attention spans. News stories are often understood by their headlines, topics broken down into palatable pieces, but a deeper comprehension of the topics and events is lacking. Reading allows your brain space to breathe, space to truly understand, and consider a topic. It slows us down, reiterating that genuine understanding is better than the stress and misunderstanding that come with surface-level knowledge. Reading, whether it is a book or an article, is a sanctuary for our minds.

Building Vocabulary Through Books

The modern world has been praised and criticized for its ‘progress’, but a society dependent on electronic instantaneity is one prone to abbreviation and shortcuts. Technology is shrinking our vocabulary, but reading might just be our secret weapon. There are only so many words we will encounter within our daily lives, but literature opens our brains up into a multiverse of possibilities.

Many writers are pioneers of language; playwright William Shakespeare was said to have created close to 2,000 new words in his lifetime. Lacklustre, majestic, and lonely would not have existed without the brilliance of Shakespeare. More importantly, no one would have learnt these words had Shakespeare’s plays not been performed, read, and studied.

Reading as a Tool for Emotional Expression

Having a large vocabulary is not just advantageous for impressing at a dinner party, but is vital for strong listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Creativity requires a toolkit, as do feelings. How we exist may be clear to us in the safety of our minds, but what happens if we need to express our thoughts and feelings? To be human is to communicate, and a wide vocabulary is one of our armories.

Think of a child learning how to discuss complex emotions, who wants to tell their parents clearly how they feel. The books they read and the vocabulary they are exposed to undoubtedly allow them to use words that do not just generalize but allow others to truly understand and empathize with their mindsets.

Why Reading Will Always Matter

Reading is our lifeblood, it distinguishes us from other animals and allows us not only to keep knowledge but to develop existing ideas. The world’s first civilization, Mesopotamia, understood the power of reading, even when it was not considered a fundamental human right. Not only is it the key to worldwide empowerment, but it is, on an individual level, one of the most vital ways to promote our own wellbeing and happiness. 

A last absolute, though perhaps this one is up for debate, is that our desire to be understood can only be realized with the words needed to express our feelings and realities. Reading is so powerful because it allows us to first learn and understand the world, and in turn, to have a chance for the world to understand us.