READING POETRY IMPROVES MEMORY AND PROMOTES INTROSPECTION

The information we receive impacts our mind constantly. Whether the conversations we hold, the readings we make, the movies we see or any possible stimulus we can receive, all the experiences are transforming us day by day. Thus, a study published in the Journal of Consciousness Studies showed that the reading of poetry and fiction literature has particular effects on the minds of people.

On the one hand, they reported that poetry activates areas of the mind that are related to music (the right hemisphere of the brain) and intense emotions. Therefore, when comparing the effects in the mind of reading poetry with those of reading prose, it was discovered that poetry activates the cingulate gyrus and the middle temporal lobes, two parts of the brain that are related to introspection. Thus, when the volunteers in this research read their favorite poems, the areas of the brain associated with memory were stimulated with greater intensity than those related to reading normally. That is to say, with the Broca area and the Wernicke area, among others. Conclusion? Poetry refers us more strongly to our more emotional memories than to rational thoughts, which can be helpful if you want to know yourself better and explore your own feelings (or if you want to declare your love to someone and you do not know how to do it).

In addition, the same study states that reading fiction literature makes you more empathetic because it activates areas of the brain related to the ability of people to understand that each individual feels particular emotions and has a unique brain. This is achieved by knowing and enjoying different stories about characters that may be infinitely different from ourselves, but who share their own way of living and thinking.

If we all manage to understand and respect our relationship with ourselves, with our deepest emotions and with the environment that surrounds us, we could live in a much more tolerant community. So, to read has been said!