Does Reading Literature Really Beef Up Your Brain?

Does Reading Literature Really Beef Up Your Brain?

http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/09/does-literature-really-beef-up-your-brain.html?mid=facebook_nymag#

“psychology researchers have found it difficult to document the concrete benefits of reading. This isn’t entirely surprising — for one thing, this is a complicated subject to study because people who are more intelligent and emotionally skilled are probably more likely to want to read fiction and poetry, meaning it’s hard to determine whether being smart makes you want to read, reading makes you smarter, or some combination of the two. Also, there are just so many different types of literature, so many ways to consume it (binge-reading versus working slowly through a novel, for example), and numerous potential benefits to explore. In short, this isn’t a topic that slides neatly under the proverbial microscope.”

Stephen