Benefiting Your Health: 5 Ways Reading Benefits Your Health and Ways to Make Reading a Physical Book a Routine Habit
1. Reading strengthens connections in your brain
Reading facilitates new connections between different parts of the brain. A small 2013 study found that reading a novel increased communication between parts of the brain that control language processing. It also created long term changes in the bilateral somatosensory cortex, the part of the brain that processes sensory information.
Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist in New York City, says reading creates neurons in the brain, a process known as neurogenesis. Neurons are cells that send messages and transmit information between different areas in the brain.
“Reading material that requires thought, consideration, and effort to metabolize what’s being described leads to the creation of new neurons in your brain,” Romanoff says. “These neurons also increase new neuronal connections, both with each other and older networks, which accelerates processing speed.”
2. Reading prevents age-related cognitive decline
Cognition includes the ability to learn, remember, and make judgments. Attention and memory are the two aspects of cognitive functioning most likely to be affected by age. Scientists believe reading can reduce age-related cognitive decline and protect cognitive function.
A large 14-year study published in 2020 found those who read one or more times a week were less likely to have cognitive decline at 6-year and 14-year intervals. After 14-years, older people who read more often had a reduced risk of cognitive decline compared to those who read less often.
Reading is even associated with a lower risk of dementia. A very large 2018 study in China tracked people aged 65 and older over the course of five years and found late-life participation in intellectual activities like reading was associated with a lower risk of dementia several years later.
