Full-body Workout for your Brain

 

What does reading do to your brain

Reading is like a full-body workout for your brain, except instead of lifting weights, you're lifting ideas, emotions, and entire worlds. Here's how it transforms your mind:

1. Strengthens Brain Structure

Reading activates multiple brain regions, including:

Temporal lobe: for decoding sounds and phonological awareness

Broca’s area: for speech production and language comprehension

Angular and supramarginal gyrus: for linking visual symbols to meaning

It also enhances white matter connectivity, which improves communication between different brain areas, like building faster highways for information.

2. Boosts Neuroplasticity

Reading encourages the brain to form new neural pathways and strengthen existing ones.

This adaptability improves memory, learning, and problem-solving over time.

3. Improves Cognitive Function

Enhances vocabulary, critical thinking, and analytical skills.

Strengthens working memory as you track plots, characters, and ideas.

Builds concentration and attention span, especially when reading long-form content.

4. Increases Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

Reading literary fiction helps develop the “theory of mind”—the ability to understand others’ thoughts and feelings.

This makes you more attuned to social cues and better at navigating relationships.

5. Protects Against Cognitive Decline

Regular reading is linked to slower cognitive aging and reduced risk of dementia.

Older adults who read frequently show better mental resilience and memory retention.

6. Reduces Stress and Improves Sleep

Reading can lower cortisol levels and help you unwind.

Print books (especially fiction) are great for bedtime routines, promoting deeper sleep.

In short, reading doesn’t just entertain, it rewires your brain, sharpens your mind, and deepens your humanity.

https://www.authorerikamszabo.com

Cognitive Overload

 We've entered a new age of reading and writing

The audience for traditional storytelling has undeniably shifted. My social media analytics tell a sobering tale—where once my posts attracted readers spanning from twenty-somethings to retirees, now the engagement comes primarily from those in their fifties and beyond. The younger generations, it seems, have redirected their leisure hours elsewhere, leaving novels to gather digital dust while their parents and grandparents remain the faithful guardians of the written word.

I asked AI why people don't read anymore, and got a sobering answer:

Book reading has declined in many parts of the world, and the reasons are layered and fascinating. Here’s a breakdown of some of the biggest factors:

Digital Distraction

• Smartphones and social media offer constant stimulation, making long-form reading feel slow by comparison.
• Short-form content like TikToks, memes, and reels cater to quick dopamine hits, reshaping attention spans.

Cognitive Overload

• Many people feel mentally exhausted from work, news, and digital noise, leaving less bandwidth for immersive reading.
• The rise of multitasking culture means fewer people carve out quiet, uninterrupted time for books.

Economic and Lifestyle Shifts

• Longer work hours, gig economy pressures, and commuting cut into leisure time.
• Streaming services and podcasts offer passive entertainment that fits into busy lives more easily than active reading.

Changing Media Habits

• Audiobooks and eBooks have grown, but they often compete with other media rather than replace traditional reading.
• Algorithmic feeds personalize content so effectively that people rarely seek out books for discovery anymore.

Generational Trends

• Younger generations often associate reading with schoolwork rather than pleasure.
• There's also a shift toward interactive storytelling—like video games or fan fiction communities—that offer narrative engagement without traditional books.

Cultural Shifts in Value

• In some circles, reading is no longer seen as a status symbol or intellectual pursuit—it’s been replaced by other markers of cultural capital like tech fluency or social media savvy.

But here's the twist: while fewer people may be reading books, storytelling itself is thriving. People still crave narrative, meaning, and emotional depth—they just find it in new formats. 

Yet the well of tales within me remains deep and undepleted; perhaps it's time to pour these narratives into vessels better suited for today's thirsting minds to reach those who have abandoned the printed page.

https://www.authorerikamszabo.com

Let Them Be Children

 Reading digital versus printed books

During a visit with my friend and her eight-year-old daughter, I had an idea. Her mother mentioned that she had a Kindle app, so I decided to gift one of my bilingual children's books to her. The little girl glanced up from playing a game on her iPad when I told her about the book but then went back to scrolling through the screen. She politely said thank you as she opened her Kindle app and skimmed through the digital pages. However, when I handed her the same book in paperback form, her face lit up with excitement. She quickly flipped through the pages, admiring the colorful illustrations, and then put her iPad aside to fully focus on reading the paperback book.

The number of children reading physical books has decreased in recent years. What impact does this trend have?

Many students think they are better readers when using screens. Their belief is rooted in the fact that they can read faster on a screen. However, this speed is achieved through scrolling, word spotting, skimming, and scanning, rather than deep reading. This means it is essential to develop strong print reading skills and then adapt them for digital screens.

The journey toward reading begins long before formal instruction. Physical books are the most beneficial for young children, followed by audio resources, with digital reading coming in last. This is because of a complex balance at play here. On one hand, tablets and other devices may be more enticing to young readers, but on the other hand, they promote passive engagement. It's like a double-edged sword: while technology taps into our innate novelty reflex as humans, this can be detrimental to a child's development as it hinders their ability to focus. Instead of fostering concentration and learning, they become accustomed to distractions and fleeting novelty.

After the child closes the screen, the most frequently uttered words are "I'm bored." Why is that? Because they have been overly stimulated. Up until age five, excessive screen time can actually hinder a child's ability to focus their attention on tasks. It has become evident that technology use during these formative years can lead to the opposite outcome of what we desire for children in terms of attention and concentration.

Let children use their imagination

Allow children to be children, to play, read, and use their creativity, while teaching them important morals. Do not expect them to act like mini-adults who can make life-changing choices at such a young age. Let them have fun pretending to be superheroes, mermaids, or animals, but remind them that it is all make-believe. They will outgrow this phase soon enough. Until then, let them believe in Santa and enjoy their childhood innocence.

My children's stories are about acceptance, friendship, family, and moral values such as accepting people with disabilities, dealing with bullies, and not judging others before getting to know them.

Erika M Szabo

https://authorerikamszabo.com

Erika loves to dance to her own tunes and follow her dreams, introducing her story-writing skills and her books that are based on creative imagination with themes such as magical realism, alternate history, urban fantasy, cozy mystery, sweet romance, and supernatural stories. Her children’s stories are informative and educational and deliver moral values in a non-preachy way.

Ain’t Nobody Got Time for Book Reviews in the Spotlight

Hi there, Toi here. I’m back to share another new release with you today. This is one for the teen and adult book lovers of the world. It’s an opinion piece I’ve written to shed some light on book reviewing culture.

Amazon.com

Have you ever wondered why it seems authors are often whining about book reviews? What's the big deal anyway? How much of a difference could your one book review really make? In this opinion piece, ten-time self-published author and blogger, Toi Thomas, discusses candidly why book reviewing culture isn't what it should be.

This is not a book about how to write book reviews and it is not a how-to book for authors to gain book reviews. This is a book about reevaluating your thought-process and opinions about book reviewing culture.

Toi Thomas clearly understands that "Ain't nobody got time for book reviews" when there are so many more important things for a book lover to do. Right? Plus, you can read this book from cover to cover in less than two hours. 100% of proceeds go to support Lit Carnivale, a book fair in the making.

Check out these two, variant mock-up covers that didn’t make the cut as you enjoy this excerpt.

 

“I have this theory that if people treated book reviews like food reviews, we’d have more of them. Of course, I do understand that while everyone eats, not everyone reads. I also recognize that eating is a basic human need, and that reading is a form of entertainment, a tool of education and development, and a method of rehashing or discovering history. However, for those who love to read, books are usually a high priority. My question is, why not write book reviews?

When someone walks into a restaurant, they do so with the intention of spending money. In fact, I’d say it’s more than an intention. People go to restaurants to pay for a meal, just as people go to theaters to pay to watch movies. After paying for their meal, people often feel compelled to let other people know that the food was good or bad, that the service was good or bad, and that the price and ambiance were balanced or unbalanced.

This is not the case with books. For people who actually buy books, not just the people who only download free ebooks (This book probably isn’t for them anyway, but I’ll touch on this later.), but the people who pay money for ebooks, print books, and dare I say it, audiobooks- there is no guarantee that these paid for items will ever get read; a library patron will pretty much always read the books they obtain. Still, if by some chance a book is read, a small act of God or, whatever you believe in, may have to occur before the average reader will share their experience. They’ll keep it to themselves whether the plot was good, the characters were likable, and the setting was believable or realistic. No, no, no, a book lover will not go out of their way to write a review for a book they liked and will only write a review for a book they don’t like if they feel a need to warn people against it….”

Ain’t Nobody Got Time for Book Reviews © 2018 Toinette J Thomas, published as Toi Thomas.

If you liked this, please consider giving this book a look and check out my Lit Carnivale dream. 

Find out more about me, my work, and my inspiration at the following links:

Amazon | Goodreads | The ToiBox of Words | YouTube | See a list of my other posts here.

Click here to read more posts at our Blog Post Gallery

COMMENTS

Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly

Toi Thomas presents a thoughtful book on why we don't make time to review books, and ways to overcome your hesitation in writing reviews. #OurAuthorGang

+

1
2
1

 

 · 

Reply

Joe Bonadonna

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly

Great article, Toi, and one that hits close to home for all of us.

+

2
3
2

 

 · 

Reply

Joe Bonadonna via Google+

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly

Today on #OurAuthorGang, author Toinette Thomas talks about book reviews and the non-fiction book, "Ain't Nobody Got Time For Book Reviews."

+

2
3
2

 

 · 

Reply

Ruth de Jauregui

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly

Oh my, so, so true! I only write reviews for books I like, and I feel like I'm always behind on them, LOL!

+

1
2
1

 

 · 

Reply

Toi Thomas

2 months ago

I get caught up some times, but I'm usually behind. For me, at least, getting caught up is important.

Toi Thomas via Google+

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly

Today, I put Ain’t Nobody Got Time for Book Reviews in the Spotlight at #OurAuthorGang

+

2
3
2

 

 · 

Reply

Cindy Smith

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly

This is probably an accurate assessment of book reviews.

+

2
3
2

 

 · 

Reply

Cindy Smith shared this via Google+

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly

+

2
3
2

 

 · 

Reply

Toi Thomas

2 months ago

Thanks for sharing.

Chris Weigand

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly

Interesting article.

+

3
4
3

 

 · 

Reply

Toi Thomas

2 months ago

+

1
2
1

This is just a small snippet, there's more to it.

Chris Weigand shared this via Google+

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly

+

2
3
2

 

 · 

Reply

Eva Pasco

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly

An Indie author who  understands the importance of book reviews--I write one for every book I read.

+

4
5
4

 

 · 

Reply

Toi Thomas

2 months ago

+

2
3
2

That's awesome! Yay book reviewers!

Tricia Drammeh

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly

This post reminded me I need to leave a review for your book! Ain't Nobody Got Time for Book Reviews is a thoughtful, well-reasoned book about book reviews and book review culture. I think you touch on some points in your book that would surprise the "average" reader. I definitely recommend this book to both authors and readers!

+

3
4
3

 

 · 

Reply

Toi Thomas

2 months ago

+

1
2
1

Thanks so much for saying that. I put a lot of thought in it and think it will appeal to people who do actually enjoy reading.

Eva Pasco via Google+

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly

Eva Pasco originally shared this

An Indie author who  understands the importance of book reviews--I write one for every book I read.

+

2
3
2

 

 · 

Reply

Toi Thomas

2 months ago

 

Reply