June 30, 2016
A study published in the International Journal of
Business Administration in May 2016, found that what students read in
college directly affects the level of writing they achieve. In fact,
researchers found that reading content and frequency may exert more
significant impacts on students’ writing ability than writing
instruction and writing frequency. Students who read academic journals,
literary fiction, or general nonfiction wrote with greater syntactic
sophistication (more complex sentences) than those who read fiction
(mysteries, fantasy, or science fiction) or exclusively web-based
aggregators like Reddit, Tumblr, and BuzzFeed. The highest scores went
to those who read academic journals; the lowest scores went to those who
relied solely on web-based content.
The difference between deep and light reading
Recent research also revealed that “deep
reading”—defined as reading that is slow, immersive, rich in sensory
detail and emotional and moral complexity—is distinctive from light
reading—little more than the decoding of words. Deep reading occurs when
the language is rich in detail, allusion, and metaphor, and taps into
the same brain regions that would activate if the reader were
experiencing the event. Deep reading is great exercise for the brain,
and has been shown to increase empathy, as the reader dives deeper and
adds reflection, analysis, and personal subtext to what is being read.
It also offers writers a way to appreciate all the qualities that make
novels fascinating and meaningful—and to tap into his ability to write
on a deeper level.
Light reading is equated to what one might read
in online blogs, or “headline news” or “entertainment news” websites,
particularly those that breezily rely on lists or punchy headlines, and
even occasionally use emojis to communicate. These types of light
reading lack a genuine voice, a viewpoint, or the sort of analyses that
might stimulate thought. It’s light and breezy reading that you can skim
through and will likely forget within minutes.
Deep reading synchronizes your brain
Deep reading activates our brain’s centers for
speech, vision, and hearing, all of which work together to help us
speak, read, and write. Reading and writing engages Broca’s area, which
enables us to perceive rhythm and syntax; Wernicke’s area, which impacts
our perception of words and meaning; and the angular gyrus, which is
central to perception and use of language. These areas are wired
together by a band of fibers, and this interconnectivity likely helps
writers mimic and synchronize language and rhythms they encounter while
reading. Your reading brain senses a cadence that accompanies more
complex writing, which your brain then seeks to emulate when writing.
Here are two ways you can use deep reading to fire up your writing brain:
Read poems
In an article published in the Journal of
Consciousness Studies, researchers reported finding activity in a
“reading network” of brain areas that were activated in response to any
written material. In addition, more emotionally charged writing aroused
several regions in the brain (primarily on the right side) that respond
to music. In a specific comparison between reading poetry and prose,
researchers found evidence that poetry activates the posterior cingulate
cortex and medial temporal lobes, parts of the brain linked to
introspection. When volunteers read their favorite poems, areas of the
brain associated with memory were stimulated more strongly than “reading
areas,” indicating that reading poems you love is the kind of
recollection that evokes strong emotions—and strong emotions are always
good for creative writing.
Read literary fiction
Understanding others’ mental states is a crucial
skill that enables the complex social relationships that characterize
human societies—and that makes a writer excellent at creating
multilayered characters and situations. Not much research has been
conducted on the theory of mind (our ability to realize that our minds
are different than other people’s minds and that their emotions are
different from ours) that fosters this skill, but recent experiments
revealed that reading literary fiction led to better performance on
tests of affective theory of mind (understanding others’ emotions) and
cognitive theory of mind (understanding others’ thinking and state of
being) compared with reading nonfiction, popular fiction, or nothing at
all. Specifically, these results showed that reading literary fiction
temporarily enhances theory of mind, and, more broadly, that theory of
mind may be influenced greater by engagement with true works of art. In
other words, literary fiction provokes thought, contemplation,
expansion, and integration. Reading literary fiction stimulates
cognition beyond the brain functions related to reading, say, magazine
articles, interviews, or most online nonfiction reporting.
Instead of watching TV, focus on deep reading
Time spent watching television is almost always
pointless (your brain powers down almost immediately) no matter how hard
you try to justify it, and reading fluff magazines or lightweight
fiction may be entertaining, but it doesn’t fire up your writing brain.
If you’re serious about becoming a better writer, spend lots of time
deep-reading literary fiction and poetry and articles on science or art
that feature complex language and that require your lovely brain to
think.
This post originally appeared at PsychologyToday.com. Susan Reynolds is the author of Fire Up Your Writing Brain, a Writer’s Digest book. You can follow her on Twitter or Facebook.
