Reading a novel has the power to reshape your brain and improve theory of mind.
Neuroscientists have
discovered that reading a novel can improve brain function on a
variety of levels. The recent study on the brain benefits of reading
fiction was conducted at Emory University. The study titled, “Short-
and Long-Term Effects of a Novel on Connectivity in the Brain,"
was recently published in the journal Brain Connectivity.
The researchers
found that becoming engrossed in a novel enhances connectivity in the
brain and improves brain function. Interestingly, reading fiction was
found to improve the reader's ability to put themselves in another
person’s shoes and flex the imagination in a way that is similar to
the visualization of a muscle memory in sports.
Modern day reading
habits continue to evolve in a digital age. Statistics vary on
exactly how many people are reading novels this decade compared to
decades past. There is a definite trend for general readers to buy
more fiction than nonfiction books—and to get facts, news and
crystallized knowledge from the internet. In 2012, only four of the
top twenty books were nonfiction titles.
"People are
interested in escape," says Carol Fitzgerald of the Book Report
Network. "In a number of pages, the story will open, evolve and
close, and a lot of what's going on in the world today is not like
that. You've got this encapsulated escape that you can enjoy."
When Was the Last
Time You Read a Good Novel?
Are you someone who
likes to read novels? Surprisingly, 42% of college graduates will
never read a book again after graduating college. A 2012 “Pew
Internet and American Life Project” survey found that people who
like to read fiction are driven by personal enrichment and described
what they liked about reading saying things like: “I love being
exposed to ideas and being able to experience so many times, places,
and events.” Another person was quoted as saying, “I look at it
as a mind stimulant, and it is relaxing.” Others expressed the
pleasure of living vicariously through a character and having another
“life of the mind.”
According to the
study, reading is a lifestyle choice that is also driven by a desire
to unplug from a constant stream of visual information. Readers said
things like: “It’s better for me to imagine things in my head
than watch them on TV ... It’s an alternate to TV that beats TV
every time ... Reading is better than anything electronic.” One
respondent captured the general sentiment of avid fiction readers by
saying, "I love being able to get outside myself.”
One of the benefits
of getting outside yourself by putting yourself in someone else's
shoes through a novel is that it improves theory of mind. As the
father of a 6-year-old, I realize the imaginative and cognitive
benefits of children losing themselves in a good story and learning
to empathize with a fictional character. Although lots of people are
still reading fiction, this new study confirms that people of all
ages should be encouraged to increase reading time while striving to
reduce TV time.
The average American
home has 2.86 TV sets, which is roughly 18% higher than in the year
2000 (2.43 sets per home), and 43% higher than in 1990 (2.0 sets). In
America, there are currently more televisions per home than human
beings. On average, children under the age of 8 spend over 90 minutes
a day watching television or DVDs.
Nearly 33% of
American children live in a household where the television is on all
or most of the time. Children between the ages 8-18 years old watch
an average of three hours of television a day. On average, 61% of
children under two use some type of screen technology and 43% watch
television every day. This is disturbing to me.
One of the problems
of watching television is that it reduces theory of mind. Theory of
mind (often abbreviated "ToM") is the ability to attribute
mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge,
etc.—to oneself and others and to understand that others have
beliefs, desires, and intentions that are different from one's own.
Unfortunately,
television is the least interactive of any new media and is the one
most likely to reduce theory of mind. A paper titled “The Relation
Between Television Exposure and Theory of Mind Among Preschoolers”
was published in November 2013 in the Journal of Communication. The
researchers found that preschoolers who have a TV in their bedroom
and are exposed to more background TV have a weaker understanding of
other people's beliefs and desires, and reduced cognitive
development.
article continues
after advertisement
Reading Improves
Brain Connectivity
The changes caused
by reading a novel were registered in the left temporal cortex, an
area of the brain associated with receptivity for language, as well
as the the primary sensorimotor region of the brain. Neurons of this
region have been associated with tricking the mind into thinking it
is doing something it is not, a phenomenon known as grounded, or
embodied cognition.
An example of
embodied cognition is similar to visualization in sports—just
thinking about playing basketball, can activate the neurons
associated with the physical act of playing basketball.
“The neural
changes that we found associated with physical sensation and movement
systems suggest that reading a novel can transport you into the body
of the protagonist,” said neuroscientist Professor Gregory S.
Berns, lead author of the study. The ability to put yourself in
someone else's shoes improves theory of mind.
“Stories shape our
lives and in some cases help define a person,” said Dr. Berns,
director of Emory University's Center for Neuropolicy in Atlanta. He
added, “We want to understand how stories get into your brain, and
what they do to it.”
The storytelling
aspect of a novel is a multi-faceted form of communication that
engages a broad range of brain regions. Although several linguistic
and literary theories describe what constitutes a story,
neurobiological research has just begun to identify the brain
networks that are active when processing stories.
Reading improves
brain connections in red.
To determine a time
frame of which connectivity in the brain lasted the longest, the
researchers measured changes in resting-state connectivity before and
after reading a novel. The researchers chose a novel over a short
story because the length and depth of the novel would allow them to a
set of repeated engagements with associated, unique stimuli (sections
of the novel) set in a broader, controlled stimulus context that
could be consumed between several periods in a brain scan.
The researchers took
fMRI scans of the brains of 21 undergraduate students while they
rested. Then the students were asked to read sections of the 2003
thriller novel “Pompeii” by Robert Harris over nine nights. The
students' brains were scanned each morning following the nightly
reading assignment, and then again daily for five days after they had
finished the book.
Conclusion:
Reading Improves Embodied Cognition and Theory of Mind
The scans revealed
heightened connectivity within the students' brains on the mornings
following the reading assignments. The areas with enhanced
connectivity included the students' left temporal cortex, an area of
the brain associated with language comprehension, as well as in the
brain's central sulcus, which is associated with sensations and
movement.
"The anterior
(front) bank of the sulcus contains neurons that control movement of
parts of the body," Berns noted. Adding, "The posterior
(rear) bank contains neurons that receive sensory input from the
parts of the body. Enhanced connectivity here was a surprise finding,
but it implies that, perhaps, the act of reading puts the reader in
the body of the protagonist."
The ability to put
yourself in someone else’s shoes through embodied cognition is key
to improving theory of mind and also the ability to be compassionate.
Although this study does not directly draw these conclusions, it
seems like common sense that if we encourage our children to read—as
opposed to tuning out through television—theory of mind and the
ability to be compassionate to another person's suffering will
improve.
Reading a good novel
allows your imagination to take flight. Novels allow you to forget
about your day-to-day troubles and to transport yourself to a fantasy
world that becomes a reality in your mind’s eye. Rarely is the
movie adaptation of a book ever quite as good as the original novel.
Even the most advanced special effects will always fall short of the
visual power of your own imagination.
Berns concluded, "At
a minimum, we can say that reading stories—especially those with
strong narrative arcs—reconfigures brain networks for at least a
few days. It shows how stories can stay with us. This may have
profound implications for children and the role of reading in shaping
their brains."