Reading is good exercise for your brain, according to the results of a study at Stanford. Literary scholar Natalie Phillips led a team in a study exploring the relationship between reading, attention and distraction. The team examined blood flow in the brains of subjects as they read passages from Jane Austen’s “Mansfield Park” while inside an MRI machine. Reading leisurely at first, the subjects were then asked to read more critically.
Results of the study were surprising, showing increased blood flow to the brain for both types of reading. And a “dramatic and unexpected increase” during critical reading flow increased to areas responsible for problem-solving.
Do you need more excuses for chilling out on a couch with a good book?
Cool and calma 