What Does Reading Do to Your Brain? Here’s What Science Says

Once your brain gets wired on books, you’re set to unlock even more superpowers like emotional intelligence, improved attention spans, and a load of health benefits—it even reduces stress if done right!

So what’s your brain really like on books? And how do we make an effort to empower people to become their mind-blowingly best self through reading? We got the facts for you.

Your brain on books is lit

Neuroscientists found heightened activity in the left temporal cortex, which is associated with language reception. Plus, the central sulcus lit up in their scans, which is the part of the brain associated with the senses.

What does that mean? Your brain activity spikes up the moment you read. And they don’t stop firing days after you put that book down. So you’re not just processing letters into words into language. You’re saving it into your brain’s hard drive at the same time! With constant reading, your memory and brain function can improve. 

Reading comprehension by the book

Here’s how literacy improves your cognitive skills. 

The phonemics engage your sense of sound as you think about pronouncing or saying the words you read. Your memory expands with your vocabulary. Sometimes you even make connections between unfamiliar words through context clues. Comprehension, the main goal of reading, brings every word, sentence, paragraph, and fluency of language together!

According to neuroscientists, reading can make you book smart and street smart

Ever heard the term book smart? And if you have, did you use it in contrast to being street smart? Well, it turns out that, through reading, both types of intelligence don’t have to be mutually exclusive!

Being “book smart” or what psychologists call “crystallized intelligence” includes knowledge like vocabulary, facts and information, past events and prior learnings. It’s rooted in experience, but it also increases the more you read! 

Then there’s “fluid intelligence.” It’s your capacity for abstract thinking and problem-solving. You don’t need literary know-how to be street smart. But the more you read, the better your critical thinking becomes. It goes the other way, too. Being able to perceive patterns and relationships can help in reading. 

And according to psychologists, reading also increases emotional intelligence

Remember what we said above about the central sulcus? Your brain’s sensory area lights up whenever you’re reading. Meaning the act of reading puts you in the shoes of the narrator or protagonist. Fiction, specifically, empowers readers to understand emotions better. 

In today’s world, emotional intelligence is becoming a sought out skill in many industries. Finding it difficult to deal with someone you know? Maybe read more to read emotions and complex personalities better. 

For young minds, reading literally increases brain cells (and improves mental function)

In a study done at Carnegie Mellon University, scientists discovered how literacy programs physically rewired children’s brains. It created more white matter, which helps the brain learn, connect, and function. The earlier one starts to read, the more capacity for the brain to grow.

Young minds especially need to learn literacy at an early age to develop their fluency and better comprehension. Their abilities form through constant practice and exposure to informational materials and, of course, books. 

How can we empower more young minds to read?

We need to give importance to reading and education, a link that can lead to better opportunities for the youth. This is where literacy programs and book drives come in. So that students out there that either lack access to materials or rank low in comprehension tests can still be set up for success early in life. 

Think: Book drives, literacy training, and even book-giving programs in far-flung areas all over the country.

MoneyGram Foundation’s “Inspiring Minds with the Gift of Literacy” project, in partnership with The Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia program, aims to raise our hopes and literacy levels. Recently, MoneyGram Foundation held an event where they donated a total of 6,000 new books and MoneyGram gift carts for students and teachers in elementary schools in the communities of Legazpi and Iriga in the Bicol region. They even held a career talk, to better equip members of the community for their future.

“The MoneyGram Foundation was established with the goal of empowering school-aged youth through educational initiatives across the globe,” said Sabrina Chan, MoneyGram’s regional Marketing Leader. “The partnership with The Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia program ensures students not only have access to books and libraries, but also have a chance for better economic opportunities, healthier families, and individual freedom and empowerment.”

Through its efforts, MoneyGram Foundation has given students in Philippine communities access to learning resources that won’t just improve their literacy and quality of education, it could boost their brainpower too!

Learn more about MoneyGram Foundation here.