It’s Science Thursday! This week’s topic: Studies show that reading is good for your brain.
Specifically, they show that reading produces powerful mental imagery and emotions. It’s a form of experience.
Even more, they show that by exposing readers to different people and situations, reading can cultivate empathy, which affects how people see others and relate to them.
One study, for example, showed that children who read HARRY POTTER books and identify with Potter as a character respond to his sympathy for people who are marginalized (e.g., “mudbloods”), leading to them becoming more sympathetic towards corresponding groups in society, such as immigrants and LGBT individuals.
One conclusion is that while reading is good for you, picking more sophisticated reads with more sophisticated characters is even better due to this effect.
Learn more here.