Read About the Rabbi Trugman – Ohr Chadash

Rabbi Trugman believes in reading as it can enlighten people's minds with knowledge and ideas. From improving empathy and creativity to staving off dementia, reading has countless benefits. So do yourself a favor – pick up a book.

For those of us who have spent many a day with our nose in a book, it's surprising that recent research shows that reading can be good for your mental health and interpersonal relationships.

Here are some benefits of RabbiTrugman regarding reading and the science to prove them:

Reading makes us more empathetic.

Mirror neurons, neurons that fire in our brains when you act yourselves or see an action performed by someone else, were discovered in the mid-90s. Their discovery led to a better understanding of the neuroscience of empathy.

One study found that literary fiction, which simulates your everyday life, increases your ability to feel empathy for others. Participants were given either literary fiction or nonfiction reading material, and, once done, they were given an empathy test. Those that read the literary fiction proved to have the most empathic response.

Reading makes us more mentally flexible.

Reading poetry and other texts that require the reader to question meaning has been shown to cause fascinating changes to patterns of brain activity. In one study, people were asked to rate texts based on their "poeticness" and how much they had to rethink their meaning while reading. When reading more complex texts, brain scans showed increased activity in critical areas of the brain as well as heightened literary awareness.

Greater mental flexibility allows people better to adapt their thoughts and behaviors to evolving situations – people of greater mental flexibility are more likely to seek out new solutions rather than just being led by habit.

Reading improves rationality and creativity.

Reading has repeatedly been linked to creativity. One study found that, after reading fiction, people have less of a "need for closure."

These findings suggest that reading fictional literature could lead to better procedures for processing information generally, including those of creativity. Due to the ambiguous nature of fiction, readers are forced to be more accepting of ambiguity, which is believed to be a critical factor in creativity.

Reading enhances brain connectivity and function.

Research shows that stories impact the brain both psychologically and neurologically.

A study in which participants' brains were scanned before, during, and five days after reading a novel found ongoing neurological changes. The results showed differences in the brain's resting state after participants had finished reading the book.

Reading can help stave off dementia.

Brain-stimulating activities like reading have been shown to ward off mental decline and conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer's.

One study found that people who read later in life have a 32% lower rate of declining mental abilities.

Reading has put our brains into a state similar to meditation, bringing the same health benefits of deep relaxation and inner calm. Regular readers sleep better, have lower stress levels, higher self-esteem, and lower rates of depression than non-readers.

 

If reading leads to treating ourselves and others better and staves off mental decline, what more motivation does one need to pick up a good book?