Alex Pepin 

As you get older, you develop and you mature. Believe it or not, your brain does the exact same thing. The benefits of reading stick with you forever and they grow as soon as you pick up your first Dr.Seuss book. 

Researchers have discovered, while using MRI scans, that reading necessitates multiple circuits and signals in the brain. Reading is favorable for your physical and mental health. During a study managed in 2013, researchers made people read “Pompeii” by Robert Harris for nine days. They used MRI scans, also known as magnetic resonance imaging, to further prove their point. As the story got closer to the climax, more and more brain regions began to light up. The scans showed that for the duration of the reading period, the parietal lobe of the brain, that reacts to movements and pain, shined with activity. 

When reading romance, the brain releases three different chemicals. The oxytocin, the feel-good chemical, causes the pleasure center of your brain to light up and it makes you have a positive reaction (which isn’t so different from being in love). Norepinephrine, that is responsible for your body’s stress response and dopamine, a neurotransmitter that controls your emotional reactions and motivations. She Gets The Girl by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick is a romance fiction book about a shy girl, Molly, who goes to college and has had a crush on another student, Cora, for a long time. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know how to talk to her so Alex, a chaotic, headstrong girl, helps her new friend to “get the girl”. The plan works, Molly does get the girl. But which one? 

Thrillers and mysteries offer puzzles to solve, acting as a mental challenge. It engages your brain in an active experience. It serves as a mental workout, stimulating a multitude of areas in the brain. As hard as it is to believe, when you read thrillers, you are getting rid of some stress. At the conclusion of the book, you experience a catharsis, which is a purifying, liberating release equivalent to the positive side effects of physical activity. This makes stress relief another wonderful and unexpected advantage. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson has got to be the best trilogy ever written. Pippa Fitz-Amobi is a high school student whose senior year project is to solve a murder. She chooses the most taboo subject of the town: who killed Andie Bell? Everyone would tell her it was Sal Singh, the victim’s boyfriend, who died tragically 2 days later. What happens when things don’t add up and she has to find the truth herself? This book is followed by Good Girl, Bad Blood and As Good As Dead, they are all equally impossible to put down. Please note that these books are for young adults and you should definitely check the trigger warnings.  

The last genre presented today is literary fiction. We could believe that reading for knowledge is the ideal reason to take up a book when it comes to reading. However, studies indicate that reading fiction may have significantly more numerous advantages than reading nonfiction. Reading fiction, for instance, is associated with improved social awareness and a greater capacity to understand the intentions of others. While reading nonfiction can be useful for learning new things, it doesn’t help much with EQ development, a far more elusive goal. Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone is a gorgeous but devastating novel about a girl, Sam, with Purely-Obsessional OCD or obsessive compulsive disorder. As toxic as her friend group is, she is terrified to leave it so it is a huge relief when she meets Caroline. Her new friend is so carefree and outgoing compared to shy, insecure Sam. Caroline introduces Sam to a happy, confident version of herself and the “Poet’s corner”. Multiple students meet in this hidden room to exhibit their poetry and to escape the world they live in. Sam learns to stand up to her friends, to the intrusive thoughts invading her mind until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and everything she’s ever believed in.  

There were a lot of science terms used in this article but they all mean one thing. Reading is a thrilling activity, not only is it fun but it’s also advantageous and promising for your young mind. Do your brain a favor and dive into the closest book you have! 

HEALTHLINE, Benefits of Reading Books: How It Can Positively Affect Your Life (2019), https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/brain-exercises#bottom-line page consulted on November 7th 2022. 

ELM, Chemical Romance: Why Your Brain Falls in Love with Stories (2017), https://elmlearning.com/blog/chemical-romance-bstories/#:~:text=Here’s%20. page consulted on November 9th 2022. 

JOSLYN CHASE, 4 Unexpected Benefits from reading thrillers  https://joslynchase.com/4-unexpected-benefits-reading-thrillers/#:~:text=Mental%20. page consulted on November 9th 2022. 

HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW, The Case for Reading Fiction (2020) https://hbr.org/2020/03/the-case-for-reading-fiction page consulted on November 9th.