The words
The book, that amazing instrument
“Of the various instruments invented by man, the most amazing is the book; of all the rest are extensions of his body … Only the book is an extension of imagination and memory. ”
J.L. Borges
Importance of reading according to neuroscience
Reading stimulates brain activity, strengthens neuronal connections and increases the cognitive reserve of the brain, a factor that has been shown to be protective against neurodegenerative diseases.
Encouraging reading is one of the most beneficial activities for health, since it has been shown to stimulate brain activity and strengthen neuronal connections, in addition, in recent years, there have been many studies that have related the level of reading and writing with an increase in cognitive reserve.
Exercise memory
Several studies show that an active brain not only performs better its functions, but also increases the speed of the response, since while reading, the brain is forced to think, to order ideas, to interrelate concepts, to exercise memory and to imagine , which allows us to improve intellectual capacity by stimulating our neurons.
“The reading also generates conversation topics, which facilitates interaction and social relationships, another key aspect to keep our brain exercised,” highlights the SEN (Spanish Neurology Society) Promoting reading also has other advantages for our health, such as reducing the level of stress or, before going to bed, develop good routines of sleep hygiene.
Although reading is good at any age, in children, more emphasis should be placed on the promotion of reading. It is the best time to instill this habit and, in addition, your brain and its functionalities are still developing.
Improves linguistic ability
Children who spend more time exposed to reading have a better oral linguistic performance. There is also an association between academic success and reading frequency.
Improves learning
Scientific studies show that children who are attracted to reading have a higher rate of learning.
The researchers found that those children who read frequently for pleasure at the age of 10 and later read at least once a week at the age of 16, obtained superior intellectual progress in both vocabulary, spelling and mathematics.
Develop creativity
Scientists in the United Kingdom discovered a strong association between creative thinking and intellectual quotient. His theory is that reading facilitates and promotes new associations between known ideas and concepts and the constructive imagination.
“To travel far, there is no better ship than a book.”
Emily Dickinson
Reading makes us happier
University of Rome III
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