How Reading Makes You Smarter
Knee deep into the school year, you may feel swamped with work, tests, and extracurriculars. You're likely looking forward to every moment you get to relax, and reading (for some people) could seem like the opposite of the break you're looking for. But, reading is proven to make you more intellgient, both academically and socially. Here's how ⬇️
Emotional responses
When you read (specifically fiction) you develop attachments to characters and events. Your sympathy is heightened when something bad happens, and you feel angry when you find something unjust. This idea––called your theory of mind––lets you see outside of yourself, both in the real word and the literary one. Both purposes activate the same area of your brain, giving it more practice with putting yourself in other peoples' shoes.
Memory & imagination
Your brain's hippocampus loves when you read. It helps with processing meaning, filling in story gaps, and converting the words into long-term memories. All of this means that the more you read, the more active your hippocampus will be. And the more active your hippocampus is, the more your imagination is active and your memories get made.
Self-reflection
Reading, and specifically poetry, forces you to look back at yourself. Every line you read and stanza you come across activate the part of the brain in charge of your autobiographical memory, which is all about you! In doing so, you allow for more self awareness and a better understanding of your personality, allowing you to find your best fit in multiple aspects of life.
Vocabulary
This likely doesn't come as a surprise, but the more you read, the more words you come across. When you see the same or similar words consistently, especially in context, you're more inclined to remember them and incorporate them into the way you speak and write. Just think about a friend who's always reading––have you noticed a wider vocabulary? Books give you exposure in a way that a dictionary or flashcards don't.
Mental aging
When all of this combines, it's pretty clear that multiple parts of your brain are active when you read. And just like other skills and strengths, the more you practice, the less likely they are of fading. The same is true here. If you keep reading, you keep exercising your brain. And if you keep exercising your brain, it stays fit and active, slowing down the speed with which it ages.
You don't need to become the next Shakespeare to reap the benefits of reading; just pick up a book! Whether you want to learn more about yourself or the world, books give you an outlet to grow and strengthen your mind. But if a book is just too much for you, then feel free to read our other posts below or in the Blog page (they're all short reads)!
