Does reading change your brain?

Immersing yourself in reading a good book can make your brain come alive. Reading improves memory and empathy and makes one feel positive and productive. According to science, the temporal lobe is one of the brain's most essential and exciting parts. And wouldn't it be? After all, 17% of the cerebral cortex belongs to the temporal lobe. Out of all primates, humans have the most prominent temporal lobe, which enables us to perform visual, auditory, vestibular, linguistic, and olfactory functions.

Reading and writing rewires the brain and has changed human civilization through continuous evolution. The first time a human may have acquired the ability to read or speak a language was approximately 200,000 years ago. The brain's temporal lobe provides public speech perception, enables communication, and is responsible for listening. If you don't read, you might be missing out on a brain-boosting habit.

So how does reading affect your brain? What exactly does happen when you see a word and want to read it?

The left fusiform gyrus recognizes the word, a part of the brain developed in literate people. The eyes process the word to the occipital lobe at the back of the brain. Therefore, the word and its letters can be identified in any font, case, or typeface as a symbol, not as patterns or shapes. The meaning and pronunciation of a word can be deciphered subsequently in the language areas of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Even after you finish reading, your brain can stay active. This active state can last for several days after reading; this state of mind is known as "shadow activity."

Focused reading, such as studying for a test, can increase blood flow within the body, resulting in improved cognitive ability. Reading, therefore, has tremendous effects on physical and mental health. When incorporated as a bedtime ritual, reading can help reduce stress and anxiety and help one sleep better. Reading can thus help build better relationships, have a healthy social network and live a longer life. A child can develop qualities such as empathy, rationality & moral judgment can be obtained. The more one reads, the better the affinity between optical and vocabulary parts of the brain.

Reading can improve your brains' capability to process information faster and enhance many areas of your life. Here are some book recommendations