How Only a Reader’s Brain Can Handle the Challenge of Writing Well
Investigating the connection between reading and writing well
Is your writing ability closely tied to your reading ability? Can your MRI scan prove that? I’ll try to prove my point in two minutes.
But first, why read anyway?
Knowing is a human need — like breathing or eating. If you are not feeling good, you do not always need to swallow a pill; sometimes, you need to read — or watch — something.
Sir Roger Scruton said, “Consolation from imaginary things is not imaginary consolation.”
National Health Service of UK started Reading Well, a Books on Prescription program to prescribe fiction and self-help works for some conditions.
Consider these three things: 1) what MRI scans say about your brain, 2) the Mathew effect, and 3) what famous writers say:
MRI scans reveal changes in the brain
MRI scans reveal that as your reading ability matures, the neuron network becomes more sophisticated — and electrical activity in the brain increases.
In a study, the participants read the novel Pompeii. As the story grew intense, more areas of the brain lit up. The brain connectivity…
