How to keep brain healthy and active

Reading books – a timeless hobby that’s one of the most useful ways to keep your brain sharp

How reading improves different sides of the brain Even though the first written symbols we discovered so far date back to 4 millennium BCE, writing and reading literature evolved a bit later. In 2300 BCE, a lady wrote down some mesopatimian hymns, making them eternal in a sense, because they were the first form of artistic use of language ever written. From that point on everything changed – public readings, the invention of the printing press, libraries etc.

leading all the way to modern day technology and ideas for the future. Reading has made itself a staple of our world and its history, eternalising stories, thoughts, emotions and ideas and connecting people both in the present and through centuries. The books containing the most famous stories in history are being sold in their millions and newer and fresher titles and authors keep making that list longer. Today books come in different forms but are still one of the biggest sources of knowledge and entertainment and they do wonders for your brain even on a physical level.

This is how.

Ways Reading Improves Your Brain

• Improves Memory And Concentration

Your brain, like any muscle, gets stronger the more you train it – memory and concentration are no different.

It improves your memory, because it forces you to remember side characters, subplots, connections made through the usage of similar words etc.

Also because reading is neurologically more demanding than listening or watching, you concentrate more and therefore train that too.

• Increases Intelligence

Reading improves overall intelligence because it makes us use our imagination –  when we read, we are forced to reproduce words into coherent stories and images and that process is imagination at its most pure form.

The other part is pretty self-explanatory but still worth mentioning – the more you read, the more you know and the more you know, the more intelligent you are.

• Helps With Sleep And Stress

A lot of people today have trouble sleeping and reading a book before bed can help.

When you look at your phone the blue light that comes out messes with your biological clock and impares sleep schedule and quality – reading eliminates the ability to look at your phone and calms you down, making it easier to drift off.

Studies also show that reading helps with stress, because it holds your entire focus on the book, taking it away from your current worries.

It turns out that it’s better at managing stress than listening to music, drinking tea or taking a walk according to a study made in 2009.

• Helps With Depression And Empathy

Reading immerses you in a different world, pulling your focus away from the negative thoughts you have in real life.

It also can give you a different perspective and make you feel understood – all very important things when battling depression.

Also by reading about other people’s emotions and thoughts you understand them better and can apply that knowledge to your real life.

This makes your emotional intelligence and empathy better.

• Builds Vocabulary And New Interests

This one is very logical, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth mentioning.

Learning new words is easiest when they’re a part of an interesting story.

More to the point, reading simple stories in a language you’re learning is a very helpful exercise on pretty much any level.

And with all the topics you can read about, finding new interests is just a part of the deal.

It’s a source of inspiration both for furthering knowledge and having new experiences.

Books really have no bounds on their usefulness.

Everything from learning new facts and languages, experiencing different periods of time and space (both imaginary and real), sharing hopes, dreams and ideas, understanding science better, expressing emotions and many many more can be a part of a book. It’s no wonder that they have been a part of our culture and history pretty much since the beginning of our mental development.

Books skyrocket the development of your brain as a kid and slow down its aging as an adult. Reading is closely connected to so many great aspects of life in so many different ways that it only stands to reason to try and make it a habit if it isn’t already.