Your Brain on Fiction...

[Stacia]

Kind of a cool op-ed piece from the NY Times:

 

Your Brain on Fiction

By ANNIE MURPHY PAUL

Published: March 17, 2012

 

"AMID the squawks and pings of our digital devices, the old-fashioned virtues of reading novels can seem faded, even futile. But new support for the value of fiction is arriving from an unexpected quarter: neuroscience.

 

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.

 

Researchers have long known that the “classical” language regions, like Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area, are involved in how the brain interprets written words. What scientists have come to realize in the last few years is that narratives activate many other parts of our brains as well, suggesting why the experience of reading can feel so alive. Words like “lavender,” “cinnamon” and “soap,” for example, elicit a response not only from the language-processing areas of our brains, but also those devoted to dealing with smells."

 

Read the rest of the article here.

[ereks mom]

Fascinating! Thanks for posting this.

[Jane in NC]

How interesting! Perhaps this explains why I feel so fulfilled when engaged in a series of books, set in places I like and with developed characters. Angela Thirkell's Barsetshire books come to mind. From the article:

 

The brain, it seems, does not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life; in each case, the same neurological regions are stimulated.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I always said reading let me live different lives. Now I have proof.

[Negin]

Love this, Stacia. Thank you. :)

 

I also like this part. Dh says it's why I cry so often. These days, I seem to cry all the time.

 

individuals who frequently read fiction seem to be better able to understand other people, empathize with them and see the world from their perspective. This relationship persisted even after the researchers accounted for the possibility that more empathetic individuals might prefer reading novels. A 2010 study by Dr. Mar found a similar result in preschool-age children: the more stories they had read to them, the keener their theory of mind — an effect that was also produced by watching movies but, curiously, not by watching television. (Dr. Mar has conjectured that because children often watch TV alone, but go to the movies with their parents, they may experience more “parent-children conversations about mental states” when it comes to films.)

 

Fiction and movies.

Edited April 29, 2012 by Negin in Grenada

[Stacia]

Love this, Stacia. Thank you. :)

 

I also like this part. Dh says it's why I cry so often. These days, I seem to cry all the time.

 

individuals who frequently read fiction seem to be better able to understand other people, empathize with them and see the world from their perspective. This relationship persisted even after the researchers accounted for the possibility that more empathetic individuals might prefer reading novels. A 2010 study by Dr. Mar found a similar result in preschool-age children: the more stories they had read to them, the keener their theory of mind — an effect that was also produced by watching movies but, curiously, not by watching television. (Dr. Mar has conjectured that because children often watch TV alone, but go to the movies with their parents, they may experience more “parent-children conversations about mental states†when it comes to films.)

 

Fiction and movies.

 

Negin, I'm glad you pulled out that quote & emphasized it. I think it explains a lot about me too (crying/being empathetic) -- I have always loved reading fiction (much more than non-fiction, in general). And, as you already know, I love going to the movies. I rarely, rarely watch tv.

[elfgivas]

what a great article! i loved how she pulled in the research from different places. it has me wondering if the perceived decrease in displayed empathy is linked to the real decrease in fictional reading children and teens do?

 

hmmmmm....

 

ann

[Georgiana Daniels]

Thanks for posting this! I love the extra validation for my reading time :001_smile:

[Negin]

I think it explains a lot about me too (crying/being empathetic) -- I have always loved reading fiction (much more than non-fiction, in general). And, as you already know, I love going to the movies. I rarely, rarely watch tv.

Stacia, the more fiction I read, the more emotional I get and the more crying I do. Movies also. I used to like some TV. These days, quite frankly, I loathe it.

 

it has me wondering if the perceived decrease in displayed empathy is linked to the real decrease in fictional reading children and teens do?

Very interesting. I think there must be a definite correlation. It worries me quite a bit about the next generation of non-readers.

[LibraryLover]

Putting aside the question, "What is literature?" for a moment; statistically, there are more people reading more books, even as some kids also play video games. The number of books being released for younger readers has grown. I dont think we are looking at a generation of non- readers, Negin.

Edited May 5, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Lizzie in Ma]

I really enjoyed that article. I appreciate validation in my reading habits of late. :D

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

Very interesting. Thanks for the link to the article.