Reading: A simple habit to protect your brain

Melvin Durai

If you love to read, give yourself a pat on the back. Reading is one of the most important things you can do for your brain health, as scientific research has shown. It doesn’t really matter what you read or how you read it, as long as you enjoy it. That’s what researchers at the University of Cambridge in England say. So go ahead and read a romance novel, a newspaper article on your phone, or those flashing words on NDTV. Well, perhaps reading your TV screen isn’t what the researchers have in mind, but they do want you to read for pleasure.

And for many people, there’s nothing more pleasurable than reading words such as these: “Breaking News: Neeraj Chopra Wins Gold for India.” In a review published in Psychological Medicine, Professor Barbara Sahakian and Dr. Christelle Langley from Cambridge’s Department of Psychiatry, along with Vicki Perrin, CEO of The Queen’s Reading Room, examined the studies that connect reading to various health benefits. “Reading is a great way to support our brain health, develop important cognitive skills, and boost our well-being,” Sahakian said. “It’s something we ought to be encouraging from an early age, given the increasing evidence of its benefits, particularly to children, but really, it’s never too late to start, and it can bring benefits throughout our lives and into old age.”

It’s concerning to the researchers and others that reading is a declining habit among children. Thanks largely to phones and social media, many kids barely read books of any kind. They may occasionally visit a library, but it’s the one on YouTube showing the videos they’ve watched. Reading does not just improve literacy skills, it has also been linked to mathematical achievement. That’s why it’s important for parents to encourage their children to read. How do you encourage a child to read? By using encouraging words such as, “No TV until you read 10 pages.” “Given how beneficial reading for pleasure is at a young age, we should be doing everything we can to introduce children and young people to reading,” Langley said. Yes, it’s important to “introduce” young people to reading. Child: “What do you have in your hand, Mom?” Mother: “It’s called a book. You read the words on one page, then turn the page, and read the words on the next page.” Child: “Does it have a ‘Like’ button?” Mother: “No, but if you like it, you can write a review and share it on Instagram.” Child: “Good idea, Mom. I’ll just post a picture of me with a book. My friends have never seen one.” It’s important, the Cambridge researchers say, to find something that your kids will enjoy reading, whether it’s a graphic novel, a comic book, or a biography of Virat Kohli. Whatever you do, don’t hand them a copy of Vikram Seth’s 1,300-page novel “A Suitable Boy.” For adults, the benefits of reading include stress relief as well as slower cognitive decline in later life. A neuroscience study commissioned by The Queen’s Reading Room in 2024 found that just five minutes of fiction can reduce stress by up to 20%.

For five minutes of fiction, all you have to do is listen to five minutes of a Donald Trump speech. But I highly recommend that you read a short story instead. The neuroscience study also found that reading fiction improves concentration and problem-solving skills, and helps people fight loneliness. One survey found that people choose books for comfort (35%) more than wine (31%) or a hot bath (10%). But just to be certain, you may want to read your book while taking a hot bath and sipping wine.