How does reading fiction differ from watching a show or those videos on social media platforms?
In: 1085
Yes! When we read, our brains have to imagine and be creative. We visualize scenes, layouts of rooms, what characters look and sound like, etc. Everything has to be imagined from scratch based off the author’s descriptions. It’s also useful for keeping elderly minds sharp. Excellent for young learning minds too, especially learning new words. For TV and social media, we might imagine what a setting smells or feels like based on what we see, but all the visuals are provided so it’s a more passive intake of information that requires less processing and concentration. When reading, you have to focus on the book and only the book or you can’t process what’s happening.
Sources that talk about how and what parts of the brain “light up” during each activity (What’s cool about the brain scan while reading is that it shows the readers felt like the book was actually happening to their bodies. Fully immersed!):
https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article/25/5/1188/311796
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/brain.2013.0166
Latest Answers