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Why Reading Fiction Can Be Good For Your Brain

Reading fiction has several benefits for brain development and mental stimulation. It challenges the brain by introducing elements of surprise and unpredictability that help build new connections. Regular reading improves vocabulary, spelling, and language skills. Fiction reading also boosts imagination and creativity, which are valuable skills for the workplace. Mental exercise through reading can help reduce age-related memory loss and keep the brain functioning well into old age.

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NguyenThiPhuongThuy
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330 views2 pages

Why Reading Fiction Can Be Good For Your Brain

Reading fiction has several benefits for brain development and mental stimulation. It challenges the brain by introducing elements of surprise and unpredictability that help build new connections. Regular reading improves vocabulary, spelling, and language skills. Fiction reading also boosts imagination and creativity, which are valuable skills for the workplace. Mental exercise through reading can help reduce age-related memory loss and keep the brain functioning well into old age.

Uploaded by

NguyenThiPhuongThuy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Why reading fiction can be good for your brain

A Nowadays, a lot of young people seem to spend much of their free time either
watching television or playing computer games. Although these things are
entertaining, they are very rarely stimulating for the mind. Many believe that
reading books, and especially fiction, is a much more effective way of achieving
this.

B Apart from being a pleasant way to relax, the most obvious benefit we get from
reading a good story is a growing vocabulary and improved spelling. We encounter
new words and become more confident with complex words. In addition, we
improve in areas such as spelling and speaking just by taking time to read a bit on
a regular basis.

C It has also been established that reading fiction is a good way of developing a
good self-image. Non-readers or poor readers often have low opinions of
themselves. Many times they feel as if the world is against them. They can end up
feeling isolated, and can perform poorly in other subjects because they cannot read
and understand the material.

D Most importantly, however, reading fiction helps us to develop our brains. The
human brain can work well when we just do routine things, like driving or walking.
However, learning expert Dr. Brian E. Walsh suggests that it can perform more
effectively when an element of surprise is added, because this helps to build
connections in the brain. In this respect, the positive effects of reading may be
much stronger than previously thought.

E According to Walsh, we are not stuck with a static brain that becomes less
efficient as we grow older. Neuroscientists have discovered that an adult brain can
regenerate brain cells. Walsh says that almost 70% of brain ageing is controllable,
through mental and physical exercise, along with diet. American neuroscientist Dr.
Steven Miller, from the Scientific Learning Corporation said, ‘The things you do,
how much you write, what you do, these actually decrease the chances of age-
related problems like memory loss.’

F What does this have to do with reading fiction? Recent research has shown that
the brain reacts more strongly to unpredictable than to predictable things. This may
explain why people enjoy reading fiction, especially when they cannot guess what
is going to happen next in the story they are reading. The brain is challenged,
which is a positive thing because it will continue to grow and develop if properly
nourished and stimulated. The more it is used, the better it becomes.

G Walsh says that mental stimulation results in a stronger brain. Reading fiction
pushes our boundaries as we experience fresh scenarios and identify with the
people we are reading about. When we mentally create the scenes, the look of the
characters, the smells, and the sounds in the book, we are providing essential
exercise for our brain.

H Asked if this can benefit us in other ways, Walsh says that it shows up in greater
imagination and creativity. This can help when looking for a job. ‘Smart business

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today looks for innovative thinkers, who can recognize changes in market patterns
and who strive for better processes and procedures,’ he says.

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