Reading a good book, one that entices your imagination and challenges your mind with a clever plot and use of language is thought to energize our brains and support our overall health. Our brains want to be needed and if we don’t use it, it becomes less useful. Yes “use it or lose” as the saying goes. Our brains, in one way or another, are responsible keeping us healthy, energized and active.
Brain scans are revealing what happens in our heads when we read a detailed description, an evocative metaphor or an emotional exchange between characters. Stories, this research is showing, stimulate the brain and even change how we act in life. “Your Brain on Fiction” By Annie Murphy Paul, New York Times.
Even as we grow older, the human brain is still capable adapting, rewiring and growing new neurons. Eating healthy, taking walks and reading a good book are just some of the ways to continue to enjoy life.
