Interesting new research suggests that reading more complex works of classic literature, instead of self-help or lighter texts, can boost brain power and improve your quality of life.
People suffering from depression, chronic pain and even dementia are being urged to tackle books by classic authors such as Charles Dickens or Jane Austen to send literary ‘rocket boosters’ to their brains.
Professor Philip Davis, of the University of Liverpool, said that reading the classics ‘frees emotions and imagination’ and lets people feel ‘more alive’, potentially allowing relief from symptoms of mental and neurological illnesses. Less complex works do not carry the same benefit because the process of reading them is too basic to excite the brain.
Professor Davis’s own book, Reading For Life, is based on work at Liverpool’s Centre for Research into Reading, Literature and Society. Davis’s research suggests that if you are just scanning for information, you go fast, it’s very easy, it’s automatic, but when literature becomes more complicated, the brain begins to work harder as it gets involved with the story. In other words it needs to get excited and emotional for there to be a long term benefit.
Research has shown that reading, along with many other tangible benefits previously discussed, could help preserve your memory into old age and slow the rate of decline in brain power, but there is no reason to wait until you are older to start the process, it’s a great habit to cultivate from even a very young age.
An easy place to start the process of warding off mental decline in older age is for children and parents to all get involved in completing regular crosswords and word puzzles and playing word based games like Scrabble and hangman. Another great option is to encourage children to listen to more linguistically challenging novels on Audiobooks, or even better if an adult can read to them.
There is a large selection of word board games in the library for use at lunchtimes, as well as jigsaw puzzles. In addition, I can easily print off paper based puzzles for any children who are interested.
Mrs Emmett, Librarian
