What Reading Does To Your Brain
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2021
- Some articles I've enjoyed:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
human-memory.net/temporal-bra...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama...
experteditor.com.au/blog/brai...
WHERE TO FIND ME:
► My Patreon: / merphynapier
► Reading Spreadsheet: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
► Instagram: / merphynapier
► E-mail: merphynapier@gmail.com - Zábava
Since making this video, I've split my manga content and book content in two different channels. Feel free to follow my book channel if you like: www.youtube.com/@merphynapierreviews
Please speak slowly because of there is so many people who are not quickly understand English...
Damn would
@@sateeshparmar8201 i sped that shlt up. She talks slow.
This is my first time watching you, and i think you're really cute.. .❤
I thought it’s written in her shirt boob hangover
I once asked my father why he paid for all my books, even if I just read them for pleasure and not for school and stuff. He replied with "Because your brain needs those books in the same way your body needs food, and we don't make you pay for your food".
Great parenting
That's so sweet😍
Aww i wish my parents would buy me some books 😅
God bless him ✊🏻
I wanna be adopted by your father
To quote random guy on the internet, reading is "staring at a piece of dead tree for hours, hallucinating vividly."
I swear that person is everywhere -_-
I wish I didn't have anphantasia so I could say that I can do this
@@deleted-qr2jf What's that like?
@@playerw98 it's just like...staring at a piece of paper and absorbing the information. you understand what's going on, you just don't see it :(
@@deleted-qr2jf That's so interesting! First time I've heard of this.
I'm trying to wrap my mind around how you remember the stories if they aren't ever made into pictures.
Really fascinating
1. Enhances attention span
2. Engages and exercises the left temporal cortex: language, facts, memory
3. Lower risk of dementia, increase emotional regulation, increase verbal recall
4. Increases empathy
5. Benefits the brain even as an adult
*laughs in irony*
Thanks a lot!
@pk5l ouip attention span problems 😂
@@princesslacson6291 The irony smh
Thanks for making it simpler
Fun fact: Your brain has a hard time differentiating between fictional characters and real people. That's why you feel for the characters you love so much. You go on this journey with them wherever it leads, through the ups and downs and everything in between. They're real to you. When they're happy, you feel happy for them, and when they're sad or stressed or confused you feel that -you feel their pain and the weight of their burdens and want to take all those negative experiences away from them. It's why we grieve so much when they die. Because as far as our brain knows that's someone we love and care for who's gone.
So much psychology I love it!
@@marykay8587 I'm glad! 😊
So well said, I cried like crazy whenever my beloved fictional characters die 😂😂
i wish i could fell like that.
I know right. Reading 📚 is so cool 😎!
Entertainment wise, my favorite moments in reading are when you get really into a story then stop seeing the words and just have a movie reel playing in my head. Brains are cool, your brain is cool. Loved the video.
Absolutely agree! I just love my brain putting all of the words in a book into moving pictures in my mind!
Yes!
But it always takes a while.
That is one of the reasons why I always try to read as much as possible in one go.
5 or 10 pages before bed isn't half as immersive as 50 or more pages.
The book unfolds in front of you, the more commitment you show.
Am I the only one who has a hard time with this? I read the words but only get a very vague image in my head of what I am reading
@@WillEnj0y Sameee. Searched for this type of comment😂🤝
@@ethandorf5828 yeah, like I still enjoy reading and get stuff out of it, it I DEFINITELY would not go anywhere near calling it a movie in my head. Idk if it’s just me though
Merphy: "here are reasons why reading is good for you"
Me, watching this video while having a full bookshelf in front of me: "interesting"
I gave you your 42nd Like...you know what that means; have your towel ready: The most important equipment in the universe...
GET IT?!?
@@jmpjjacobs4829 I raise my pan galactic gargle blaster to you
DON'T PANIC!!
@@eliasbischoff176 Hello fellow human with the same name as me (mine is catalanized, so in catalan it's written Elies, but in Spanish Elias). Have a good day.
Also, my bookshelf is behind me...
@@Elies313E you have a good day too☺️
My brother, who is an English professor put it this way: "People who don't read fiction Don't understand Reality."
One of my favorite quotes, to be sure lol
I've been preaching that for a long time. However, I always go very far in my explanation.
This quote explains a relatively complex issue very clearly or can function nicely as a supplementary mnemonic.
Thanks for that!
@@rolanddeschain6089 Not gone lie, I want to hear your long explanation.
@@klove5974 me too
@@rolanddeschain6089.
elaborate and explain that quote to me please
When I was a child, my parents weren't really active in my development. Sure, they fulfilled all of the "legal" requirements as in feeding and clothing me, but that was all. I didn't have many friends and I was pretty behind developmentally. I was well below grade level in reading and I even had to attend speach therapy. At some point, my parents felt the ever growing need to get me out of the house. As a result, I started spending more and more time with my grandmother. I don't know how she did it, but she didn't make me read, she made me *want* to read. I went from "Green eggs and ham" to "Are you there God, it's me Margaret" to "The Old man and the sea". In a period of a couple of years it was if I became the main character in "Flowers for Algernon". I caught up to my classmates in reading and eventually surpassed them. I took to writing my own stories. I suppose it's a bit grandiose to say reading changed my life. But, I can definitely say reading brought color into an otherwise sepia toned childhood.
I need to speak to your grandmother I'm a mother to a 6 year old who doesn't like reading 🤷😖
If children see influenciential adults reading and enjoying reading, then the child will read.
God bless your wise grandmother. She introduced you to wonder, curiosity, ambition, and joy.
I wish you and your grandmother the best! Your story is amazing.
My life was similiar. The books that had an impact on me were an eclectic bunch: tom sawyer, andromeda strain, day of the jackal, star trek adaptations by james blish and allan dean foster and a few non ST books by foster and the comic books by Stan Lee. So thank heaven for Lee and Roddenberry.
Reading definitely improves your attention spa- oh look is that a bird!
Reading developed my attention span so mu- ooh a text.
Yep that's exactly how I am
Same mine seems to have gotten worse
Weeeeeeee. W- what were you saying?
Hahaha! 🤦🏽♀️😂
Although we don't appreciate it a lot, readers have a wonderful community where even the shy people can express their love for their favourite book. That can be a benefit too because we need connections
Someone who reads widely is almost always a great conversation partner because you know that this person is not only open to different books but open to almost everything.
True I think it's so great how we have tons of ways to share our reading preference ☺️💖
3:45 "When we live in a society that's constantly trying to get information faster, constantly trying to get their entertainment faster, our attention spans just narrowing and narrowing, and reading is actually one of those things that expands that attention span alot"
thank you!
😊
Reading isn’t a sideline to life, life is a sideline to reading!!! ❤
Absolutely BEAUTIFUL video!!!! ❤
The attention span thing is something I've noticed myself. I have ADHD and if I read more I'm more productive and just generally feel better. And if I don't read for a few days I'll immediately notice my attention span shrinking
Anyway, I think I should pick up a book now
Huh, I'm ADHD too, I should try that!
i've got adhd too, i've read in the past, and i've noticed the same exact thing too! i haven't read in a few months though and right now my chaotic adhd brain is running wild. i'll get back into reading soon though... just after 1 more video..
Read Gabor Maté's Scattered Minds.
You won’t regret it.
I also have that and I often wonder if my attention gets worse because I stopped reading, or if I stopped reading because I couldn't concentrate and then it just got worse and worse...
I’m a spanish native speaker but I do all my reading in english. I feel like i’ve mantained my english level high by reading a lot (and youtube lol)
Same here but with German! Reading in English really helps me maintain my English level :)
Same. I love reading in either language, but I intentionally try to read in English to maintain my level. So far, it's worked.
Same! I've finished high-school almost 10 years ago and there's a huge difference between my classmates' English and mine.
Im Indian and I did learned a lot of English by ready and youtube too
I'm swedish and like to read books in english as well to maintain a decent grasp of the english language.
I used to be such an avid reader. Everything from Dostoevsky to Hemmingway to Pablo Neruda, but I started losing my eyesight, and that all changed. But you, you talking head you, are really inspiring. Look how popular you are doing your talking head bit. I'm "literally" going to go read now.
Awesome.
Finally, someone on BookTube that's not all about hoarding and TBRs and unboxing and hauls.
This is the sort of thing I wish there was more of.
Helps people get into reading, not just entertain readers.
Very well done.
Would love to see an in-depth analysis of the role audiobooks can play in this, and the audiobooks vs. physical books comparison.
-----
[Audiobooks Are Awesome](czcams.com/video/_Mgo9FAJxCU/video.html)
I wrote the following a while ago in a reply to the video above, and thought I would share it here because it might be helpful. Also, I'd like to see Daniel do an in-depth video comparing the two.
----
Apologies if I sound corny, and/or my selection of words is poor (English isn't my first-or second-language).
I 'read' audiobooks quite often. I don't have an e-reader (but do read on my smartphone). These add up to more than half of my reading time. And I do get it-I'm a bit tired of those snobbish anti-other than-physical-text comments myself-and I agree with what you said here specifically.
I don't have much solid defense for anti e-reader sentiment; however, I don't think you quite did justice to what an educated anti-audiobook stance may be (not that I believe precisely that was your intention behind this video), and so would like to offer some. These are not universal, solid, and/or objective criticisms; just my idea of what more concrete sentiments may lie on the other side of the scale here-stated such, or otherwise.
Stories have been in narration far longer than they have been in print. More humans can listen to complex ideas than can read them. Printed text is very new in the grand scheme of things. True. However, our current books would not be received well if they had been recited by the village bards. I'm imagining your local storyteller reciting the latest chapter from [insert recent stellar author] every other week in the town square. Simply put, those stories were 'written' to be recited, and it's mostly the other way around now; and that makes them quite different. If one listens to the audiobook, there is a greater barrier to the pausing capability. The text of a book rarely ends up in a state where a narrow range of reading speed throughout is ideal to the consumption of the text. While one is reading, not all passages are equally heavy-hitting i.e. not equally time-requiring. There are some amazing one-liners that beg time to ponder on the spot. The narrators are quite limited in their ability to do much about this. Different readers devote different stretches of time to specific aspects, and these may not line up with what the narrator (or author for that matter) valued more in their reading e.g. detailed descriptions of clothing.
The physical text on physical paper is serving a purpose other than going through and bringing the story to life in one's brain. Audiobooks may lack (and I'll elaborate on this)… character; in that they can not be same physical 'tools for adjusting one's senses' (reference to 'Psycho-Pass' season one-highly recommend by the way). One can not have as much control over the experience with an audiobook, it can feel like something pressed upon you (granted-with one's assent) rather than something you yourself are reading with agency. an extremely well-delivered lecture rather than a... companion. The ability to take your desired time with the text (and it's different quirks) can be quite important.
Moreover, while there are plenty of sublime narrations, and these do potentially add (much) more to the experience than the inside-one's-head reading of the text. This is still undeniably an extra lens between the reader and the writer, and if one is purely attempting to judge how well the author managed to bring the book-experience to life through their text-you may find yourself in such a position, Daniel-it might make the job tougher if one has only consumed the audiobook, which could understate and/or overstate this ability. I have a few examples in mind, but I would rather stick to the theory here.
Onto a more important point I'm actually surprised you didn't address. The grammar of the text itself. There is a quite primal and ironically difficult-to-put-into-words process through which one becomes a better and better reader. The voice in your mind essentially. I don't believe many readers pay much attention to this aspect of the reading process, but it's actually quite important. That voice changes and grows with time, and that-to a large extent depends on physical reading of text (I know a few neuroscientists), e.g. one can can increase ones reading speed more visibly (i.e. one can quite plainly see the 'improvements' in steady increments) and more universally (i.e. it translates to both audio and text) by reading physical text than by 'reading' the audiobook. The ability to write well (punctuation and all) might not develop as well if one only consumes audiobooks from a young age, those abilities become harder to master as time marches on.
I could say more, but this has already become a tedious rant I did not plan on. So there.
[insert appropriate]
JOKES ON YOU I FIDGET WHILE I READ. SITTING STILL? ATTENTION SPAN? LIEEEESSSS
Oh look a shiny thing!
"Me who got ran over by a car while listening to an audiobook"
i have ADHD and try to improve my attention by devouring books and this is so accurate pls-
wow quirky
@@ananyamaybehow is your attention now? are you reading regularly?
@@Ignaz.Semmelweisactually, yeah
i've stopped reels etc. i can listen to hour long classes and can read books like i used to :))
Lmao 🤣 I know what everyone was thinking. And the fact that you know what I’m saying, shows I’m right… haha.
The few times I have read, I found words are like keys that unblocks something deep within, as if something begins flow or opens up. It in turn helps in interpersonal communications. You open upto to others easily if you're a reader. Yet I am not a reader, computer or technical books may be yes , but not books about human life, thanks for this video, I am inspired, just 10 pages a day. Thank you.
“Your Brain on Fiction” Annie Murphy Paul has some interesting points eg “The brain, it seems, does not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life”. Also reading literary fiction is what increases empathy.
Yeah. This is why parasocial relationships feel so real, because for all intents and purposes they are real to our brains.
Huh only reading fantasy and sci fi must be why I'm an apathetic jerk. Still not worth it to read boring literary fiction tho
Reading genre fiction wouldn't increase empathy, then?
@@Luke-nn4pm I feel this
@@scurrilousss Ah, always nice to encounter other sarcastic nerds!🤝
I got into reading around November, so it hasn't even been a full year yet, but the thing I noticed most was an improvement in my memory.
Never thought that I would get into reading so much!
SAME! its incredible the difference it makes
I'm learning English and I'm training my listening skill. CZcams recommended you, I don't know why, but I think it's because you speak very well and clearly. I managed to understand more than 80% of the video. Thanks ❤
Little fun fact: All the benefits also apply to audio books, even stuff like improved reading accuracy and reading comprehension goes up from listening to audio books.
Yeah, and attention span goes bye bye
@@iamdivan7368 not necessarily. It's the same concept as listening to music. You can train your attention span if you listen mindfully and with intent.
I love audiobooks, they have helped me a lot learning English!
I've found that because I listen to audiobooks a lot more, my attention span for reading a physical book has greatly lessened. I've been forcing myself to read some books without using any audio.
@@iamdivan7368 I have ADHD and frequently zone out when reading books. I still do it a lot because I like my own internal narration, but I'm able to focus much more via audio books. I'm also able to multitask. So uh, you're wrong I guess
I started reading at the age of 19. It was booktube that got me into reading. I was into nonfiction productivity summary. CZcams suggested me booktube. After gaining interest in watching people talk about books for hours, I tried to give it a go. Now I'm 22, not an avid reader yet, but it made me realise I love writing. I'm forever greatful for booktube community.
I will never forget the definition of Book Hangover.....
I started reading for fun around 1st grade (12 years old) and it was funny to have people think I was an A+ student, when I was struggling so hard at school. Now, many years later, reading and books are my everything. I think it is the most beautiful think to be able to read someones dreams and explore their imagination. I have wanted to be a writer and offer my crazy creativity to anyone in need of an escape or just fun. And only recently I told myself to stop worrying about what society wants, what other thinks, and finally start writing!
A benefit of reading: when you start, you don't want to stop reading!
A malefit of reading: YOU DON'T WANT TO STOP READING!!!
In my experience, reading has a direct and noticeable effect on my cognitive function. Mainly my vocabulary and memory, I notice these the most. I spent about 3yrs not reading any books after being an avid reader for 10+yrs. I didn’t notice the difference when I stopped reading, but when I started again I clearly felt the benefits!
I used to read a lot of non-fiction when I was in public school, eons ago. Mostly physics related or stories about the space race etc. I did try getting into fantasy, tried to reading “Robin Hood” but the old language made it hard and so I didn’t really go back.
I became an electrician and there didn’t really need to read a much. Most everything is hands on and relayed verbally. Over the years I could feel the mental lag setting. Course this could be from just getting older but I felt it was from a lack of a variety of mental tasks, so I picked up reading and started with Harry Potter. Not that I am a huge fan but with seeing the movies figured it would be easier to visualize the world as I read.
Have you ever forgotten to water a plant so that it wilts a bit, then after watering, it begins to perk up and come back to life, well that’s how my brain felt lol. Not that Harry potter books carry the secrets to the universe but reading them I definitely felt my brain walking up, once derelict stations in my mind started to become dusted off and used lol.
I moved to to Discworld, almost literally lol, read though them all and a few five times. And now the Stormlight Archives. Reading has definitely helped my brain wake up and got me to gain a hobby I can finish lol.
When I was young, I didn't care for reading. I was very active as a kid and didn't care for quiet reading time in 3rd grade, until my 3rd grade teacher introduced me to Harry Potter. I stayed still and read during quiet reading time that I didn't want to stop. It was a classroom book and my teacher let me take it home to finish. It astounded both of my parents (my dad being as much of a bibliophile as I am now) even went out and bought the first four Harry Potter books (which were the only ones out at the time) for me to read.
From there, I have loved reading. My parents never questioned in buying me a book every time we went to a bookstore because they loved the fact I enjoyed reading.
Reading is my absolute favorite hobby, I just started reading fantasy and fiction in 2018 and had to push myself really hard at first but Im SOOO happy I did. I can sit and read/listen to any book straight through now and actually LOVE every second of it. I was not a big reader before 2018, and now I have almost 150 books completed on my Goodreads account. I’m obsessed and can’t believe I was missing out on so much fun my entire life!
Yes. Understand. I know what you mean. The fun is incredible
The level of cerebral activity that is required in reading is higher than just watching shows. Most people would prefer watching lighter or easy-to-digest shows for relaxation or leisure as opposed to reading a book. 🥰🤓😍
Thank you , I am so impressed listening to this presentation. I thought perhaps I was a dying breed. I’m in my late 60s and have been avidly reading books since about the fourth grade. (My mother told me that I was tested as reading at an eighth grade level when I was in the fifth grade.) Not a brag, but just attesting to my absolute lifelong love for reading.
I’m dyslexic but i adore reading, it will always take me longer to process a book, but dyslexia can come with the ability to visualise in 3D, plus heightened narrative reasoning skills. So although reading doesn’t come easily to me, its so worth the time because what i get to experience if more vivid than any film i could watch. Not that i dont enjoy TV But there are some characters from books that I genuinely look to when I’m struggling. I can drop out into my imagination once I’ve read a book and walk around the scenery. Reading has given me multiple havens through out my life.
I was today year's old when I learned the term "Doom Scrolling." Such an accurate descriptor though! Thank you for your insight on the power of reading!
Merphy will become a book scientist one day XD
I've always really liked stories in general (not necessarily just books, but also TV), and I really feel like experiencing the lives of so many different characters really helps me understand people better, especially when I've always been kind of awkward and talking to people is difficult for me lol
Before I fell in reading, I am talkative and ready to go type of person. A year later, I rarely go out, I rarely talk to people around me unless it was related to books or something very interesting. I'd rather grab a book and settle down with a cup of coffee. I can tell that reading can really changed your personality and perspectives . 💚
We have so little research into the psychology of storytelling and reading but is so fascinating from an anthropological point of view, how humans across all cultures love stories and how books are really just another extension of our love for stories.
This is so interesting! I never would've realized how similar the benefits from reading and learning languages are. Also, the neuroplasticity of adults is so often downplayed. It's never too late to build good habits and reap the rewards.
I so love reading. It expands my sphere of knowledge, improves vocabulary and makes me happy
I like how she mentioned that a new reader struggles a lot more than an avid reader. I started getting more into reading once I got older. And I’ve noticed that it calms ADHD. It also makes me relax a lot.
Ok but more seriously, I love this video. I do think that there is a benefit to reading that is often overlooked or at least underplayed. I know that for me, half my family love reading and encourage it, while the other half finds it fine for school and keeping the noisy child quiet (but not if you're reading in public what are you showing off?), but more of a waste of money ("libraries exist it's not like you reread anything" JOKES ON YOU MOM I REREAD 90% OF WHAT I READ BECAUSE I FORGOT IT AHAHA).
In terms of it making me (personally) more empathetic, I am mixed on it. I do try to view all characters perspectives and try to understand where they're coming from and why they make the decisions they do. Understanding is not forgiving or excusing and it does help me at least make sense of things people in real life do or say. But whether it makes me more empathetic I'm not entirely sure about and that's mainly because I don't know how much is true empathy or performative on my part. and that's an entirely personal issue that I contemplate a lot. There are times that you have people who are well read but miss the point of books or don't take lessons they learn fully into heart and that is disappointing, but I don't think that's the norm.
Anyway this is super rambly and I need to get back to genshin. I mean reading.
I think empathy and sympathy get mixed up a lot. I think you're spot on when you say you try to understand characters actions and motivations - that's definitely empathy. But empathy doesn't mean accepting the way others act or sharing their feelings just because you understand them - that's more to do with sympathy. Like you can be very empathetic but lack sympathy and vice versa.
balancing genshin with reading is the perfect world, at the moment i’m more focusing on reading though
Glad to see someone else addicted to Genshin 😬
Beimg empathic probably makes you just understanding more, and not agree and be angry with like people who dehumanize, understanding others and how , empathy isnt tolerance of people being the worst, its just trying to get why and if its. Tolerance only works if intolerance isnt tolerated. And anger sometimes is justifi.ed
I love the way you write. It's so funny and interesting.
All i know is - reading book gives KNOWLEDGE......
And knowledge is LIFE!!
"Knowledge is power"
- Sir Francis Bacon (allegedly)
Knowledge is Power
Guard it well
I have Tourettes Syndrome, and find that when I read every day, it helps me manage my tics better. My tics cause me to get agitated and make me more irritatable. People take my agitation with my tics personally even when I try to explain it to them, and I can't control the agitation very well, so I am glad to see reading improve that slightly. It is not perfect, but better than nothing.
A well ROUNDED explanation
The definition of book hangover is captivating
My brother thinks "reading make you smarter" is a myth yet he thinks that eating a salad a day will make you healthy even if you eat junk for every other meal and snack.
He’s 100% correct on both counts.
@@DregazGo troll somewhere else
I'm not a native English-speaker, yet I started to learn english because I wanted to read stories in their original language or watch foreigns movies with only english sub available.
Now I can understand, speak and write in english pretty well (with tons of grammar and spelling mistakes but hey, it's better than nothing)
Me too!! Reading in english really helped me to learn the language.
Whenever I struggle with motivating myself to read, all I have to do is watch one of your videos! Your enthusiasm is contagious!!!!
"I don't consider devouring PULP FICTION to be reading." Michael Cain in EDUCATING RITA. I've met people with Masters degrees who don't even know who Aldous Huxley was. I don't consider devouring Harry Potter novels to be reading.
I've always felt very different from people because of how hyper focused I get with EVERYTHING. People talk about how bored they get, but I could stare at a wall for hours and never get bored just by examining the wall. I hated reading until I was 7, and then became obsessed with it and would spend my entire weekend reading a book or series, and I'd even reread books. I would read everyday for hours, but then high school started and I ended up reading just for classes, though it did heavily slow down in middle school as well. I did write a lot in middle school though, but really only in large bursts. Same with highschool, but that was actually for a project I had in sophomore year honors English for National Novel Writing Month we had to write a novella, like 10,500 words or something, but I could only write at school since my laptop was broken at the time and I was only able to get about 7,000 words or so, but that was fun and was something that pushed me to do something I enjoy. Also last year, Junior year, I took a creative writing class and wrote a lot of things I'm really proud of. So other than some writing and books just for classes I haven't read or even written as much as I want to.
Specifically with school I get so drained from school especially since I like to take difficult classes and I get so tired, but I always have so much to do and I feel like I'm not doing enough, but then somehow I get good grades without studying or really trying, but maybe I'm trying and doing more than I think? Part of it might be that I have really good comprehension skills and I am able to just pay attention in class for stuff to pay off, but I kind of don't have good comprehension skills all the time so idk. This is my last year of highschool, so hopefully once it's over or even during this time I can fix some bad habits I have before getting back into school with college.
Even though I have an insane amount of focus, I end up using that on things I don't want to be focusing on. I love videogames, but I don't give myself even the time to do that, let alone read, because I'm so focused on youtube videos, though a large portion of the youtube I consume is education in a way, I can't help but want to do other things. CZcams is the break, but I need a break FROM the break. I get so absorbed into doodling and end up doing that for 5 hours, when I could of been doing homework, clearing youtube videos from my tabs, playing video games, or even better, reading. I will spend a whole week researching a random topic such as how the different genres of music relate to certain personality traits and I'll take notes on it and record the data I've found for like no reason. My focus on things that even I think is pulling focus away from tasks I want to be doing is at risk for being pulled to something else for a very long time. (This happened with One Piece and I ended up having my focus watching and reading that and only that for two months straight, I couldn't do anything else).
I feel like because of the strange way my brain works the biggest step to reading more again is literally just to pick up a book, because the moment I do I know I won't be putting it down, because that's just how I'm wired. I think I'll go and do that. I want to get into the habit of this again.
Also, this is just how I do comments; It's impossible for me to make a short comment, I literally don't even know how to I just go on tangents for forever. Also Also, I feel like certain things were unrelated, but this was just kind of the order of the thought processes I had after the video and I just went with it. In a way my focus thing can be attributed to this comment. Oh, another thing about me and comments is I have no idea how to end them. So that's great. Goodbye.
I love how the reason reading improves attention spam is the reason why my mom dislikes fiction or anything that has a narrative. She is always like, I want to read something that would give me the facts right away. She only reads self help because of that and I wish I could change her mind but well.
This is a great video. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately and those facts just encourage me to pick up a book right now
Odd selfhelp most of the time is not direct. And vague with plattitudes.
Self help books put you in a cycle of believing you can magically change your life on a week, giving you a serotonin high, before you slowly come back down to earth and seek out the next one.
Since learning how, in 1st and 2nd grade, I have always been an avid reader of fiction, biographies, nonfiction of interest and politics. Now I am 75 and still love reading so much, I invented a way to read and knit simultaneously!
In the book reviews I have seen, you have the skill to put the finger on things that I have been thinking but not been able to put into words. Thanks for your work.
I only started reading again just recently and my attention span was so small but with some practice, effort and rules in place I've been able to lengthen it and can escape into the book a bit more.
I was literally just asking myself this question and then BOOM! This video popped up 😂
I’m 39 and I just finished my first book less then 2 years ago . Now I can’t stop I read multiple books at a time . I think different act different and even talk different. I decided to get a degree and it’s all because I picked up a book 2 years ago . So she is absolutely right !
I’m glad that our teacher gave us a project to create a website that shows our hobby. So I used it as an opportunity to read more and made a website where I can use it as my journal and track my reading progress (like in goodreads). Now, I’ve already read 7 books in 3weeks and I’m really loving it!
Hey Merphy! I've been reading a Japanese novel called Kokoro for my university class and one thing I've found I really enjoy is that instead of doing chapters there are pauses in the story. I think for readers that find it difficult to sit down for long periods of time, having a story with pauses instead of chapters makes the book much easier to both pick up and put down. It's interesting because I've never experienced a novel similar to that style before!
I was an avid reader growing up but lost that while raising my kids. I have since rediscovered my love for reading (many thanks to you!) and I find that creating a goodreads account has helped me with my goals and accountability. And yes, the joy of a good story can still capture me! 🤗
Reading was tough for me a couple of years ago and once I found out I love reading books on improvement and how to guides my mind began to enjoy it more. I think it also depends on the genre too, I lm not too keen on fantasy or novels ha ha ha but I see the benefits when I’m reading “carpentry for dummies”.
I read a bit when i was young, then pretty rarely in high school as i started to play more video games and such. Ive just started to really get into reading in my early twenties and ive been reading every day for a few years now. I read mainly non-fiction and one of the main reasons i do read is to sort of get away from the world of instant gratification and take at least 30 mins a day to relax and just disconnect for a while.
I love reading historical fiction and nonfiction and I do agree that it does broaden your perspective.
The attention span is definitely a thing. If I try to watch a TV show these days I usually can't pay attention to it, but I can pay attention to video games or books.
When you said that you could understand perfectly what the character was feeling through their own perspective even if it is extremely different than yours, girl, i swear i thought i was the only one that that experienced that kinda vibe, actually feels so amazing feel that u can completely understand their crazy or transtorned mindset without changing yours, reading is magic and that's it 🤩
I loved what you said regarding morally gray characters. Seeing the humanity in them really gives us perspective and I think nowadays, unfortunately, a lot of people lack the ability to see another persons point of view. It's especially prevalent in regards to political stances. Anyway, I'm a young adult trying to get into reading. I was inspired to read the book Dune because the movie recently came out. If I'm being honest with myself, I feel that social media is really shortening my attention span. I'm glad I came across this video.
William, if you are trying to get into reading, can I suggest the Emberverse series by S.M Stirling. It shows you how ordinary people react when everything familiar gets ripped away...and who they become under pressure. I loved it, especially the first two or three books.
Merphy: being able to sit still and hyper focus on one thing is something we struggle with.
Me and my ADHD: ...no, I can do that, I can do that really well, I just can't choose when it happens and can't turn it off when it does.
I'm 56 (yeah, I'm old), and I've been an avid reader from an early age. My dad and step-mum used to buy me classic novels for birthday's and at Christmas. I would read with a torch under my covers about Treasure Island or Robinson Crusoe. As I got older I progressed to the likes of Frederick Forsyth. Then it was fantasy, which is still my favourite genre. To walk beside the main protagonist/s and soak in the landscape is just something I find so enjoyable. I also love thrillers and crime.
You've earned a subscriber, ive seen some pf your book reviews but this has put you in a new light for me and I owe you the respect
I love reading and teaching my students how! Brain exercise!
It's kind of like entering code into a computer. The letters that you read are meaningless by themselves; your brain absorbs the inputs and assigns meaning to the symbols, thereby allowing the narrative to take shape in your mind. Reading is excellent for your brain because it is the medium which requires the most activity on the part of the audience.
I love how passionate you are about reading. I feel like reading is my escape from the day to day stresses. Some times I dive in and forget to come up for air
"The time you enjoy wasting , is not wasted"
- Bertrand Russell
As a teacher, I really love your advocacy for reading.I love what you do with this channel. I'm also a young teacher although I sound old lol
this was a really great watch. i was a frequent reader as a child since my nana raised me to read every day, fell out of reading during high school and just picked it back up around last december and im just in love. its very true though-- its very hard to stay focused at times because of how the internet has affected our brains, and i even catch myself getting distracted easily at times. and sidenote: its harmlessly amusing to me that people think reading is a hobby you dont get anything out of, meanwhile i feel yucky if i play too much video games and dont read because i feel like i got nothing out of it lol! priorities
Q : What reading did to my 🧠BRAIN ?
A: I wrote a book, only because reading pushed me to react to what I experienced in those pages.
In a nutshell, reading gives you a chance to explore and enjoy the other person's experience which is entirely different from yours.
I homeschool my children on a farm and I taught them to read also to travel around the world to many countries. These two things really expand the mind and perception of life.
One of the main things I see from book readers is that they are very good at attractive speaking skills
I always recommend to people who haven't read a book in a while and struggle to concentrate to try reading an audiobook along with the physical book of their choosing. Often times you'll start to read faster and concentrate better without the audio, but it can be a great way to get immersed in a book and kick off a reading habit! Of course audiobooks, in general, are also great!
Purely anecdotal here but I just had an epiphany. About a year and a half ago, I got SUPER into reading. I always enjoyed it, but it had been awhile since I had read anything. Busted through about 70 books since then and have been loving it. This could be coincidental, but it was only during this time that I managed to quit smoking and lose 60 pounds. Despite previous attempts to do so, in my past lifestyles that did not prioritize reading. Without even realizing it, it has completely changed how I dedicate myself to a complete a goal. And your channel has been a gold mine of recommendations and reviews that have helped me stay interested. So Thank you, Merphy!
I’ve read 21 books this year and am so glad I found your channel today. I love to read!
I started reading again because I knew I was missing out on amazing stories! I was always watching a show or movie and thought “I wanna look for something new when it comes to a hobby and entering a new world~ and I think books have stories I’ve never thought about and wanna experience!”
I never feel quite as fulfilled or happy as I do when I know I've read a lot. Been reading Harry Potter for the first time and burned through books 3, 4, 5, and 6 in the span of about two and half weeks, and I've been so jolly. Past couple of days after getting to Deathly Hallows I decided to slow down to enjoy the final hurrah, and only read a couple chapters so far, and I'm back to feeling a bit empty and sluggish.
i'm having flashbacks to the psychology paper i wrote about how reading can have the opposite affect on people 😳i feel like it's important (with everything) to remember that activites are different for everyone and what may positively impact some or even most people can be super negative for others
Love this video so much. Reading is amazing.
My granddad told me, "You can't read or travel a lot, and come back as a hateful person."
Your passion about reading is infectious! Love it... Thanks for the breakdown and great video. The act of consistently bringing our focus back to one place is the basis of mediation too.
This is a well dome video. I personally love reading. My mom, my now late Grammy, and my aunt have instilled a love of reading in me since I was a child.
Reading has so many benefits for people, and I find it fascinating how many positive attributes reading physical books has. I am an avid reader and I find that I retain information so much better from physical books and notebooks and things. I love having as much empathy as I do, and reading for fun. I try to read at least once a week, if now a few times a night or morning, either before bed, or right when I wake up in the morning. It gives me a better sleep and a better start to my day, personally. This is a well informed, great video. Thank you for spreading the positivity of reading to anyone whom chooses to watch your video. It makes me happy.
This was an excellent video! I love discussions about reading. I can always tell when I’ve spent too much time watching random short videos or scrolling Instagram because I have more difficulty settling into reading. I also find that when I’ve been doing that I have even more difficulty with slower paced fiction. I’ve been scaling back on switching back and forth between things and reading something that is a bit more challenging so that I can rebuild my focus and enjoyment. Thank you for making this.
Holy sh**, who is this amazing girl? My attention is grabbed.
I used to read a lot when I was younger, I stopped for whatever reason (any easier entertainment). About a year ago, my vacation was coming up so I decided to try and read more (due to social distancing, I didn't just want to stay home all day watching movies/playing games), it was the best thing I've done, the changes in my mood and in general were noticeable. I've been reading a lot lately and it's been great.
Great video! And yes, this topic is quite interesting!
I definitely find the connectivity thing is true. "All books are one book" is a phrase I heard somewhere, because everything you read starts to connect to everything else. Even when it doesn't look like it. Like your a big fat spider at the centre of a cultural web. Nice video btw. Also when it comes to reading consistency is key. I read In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. I found myself picking it up and putting it down. Not because it is bad. It is a wonderful book (split into volumes it really is one big book. A bit like Lord of the Rings.) But I found once I said to myself I'll read 20 pages a day. Slow and careful. I got through all of it. And I'm so glad I did. You can read any book if you just consistently put half an hour/an hour aside to read every day. It's just how you ring fence that time.
Not only did I get some good insight about the benefits of reading for my brain, but I simply loved the passion and the enjoyment you express when you're talking about it. It's awesome
I felt the need to comment this so excuse me. My family bought me a book for my 22nd birthday this august and I've started reading it this september, as well as one more book which my friend bought me years back. I'm in a position and time in life where I want to devote myself to me and people around me by growing as a person and thus where good habits (and breaking bad ones) comes into place so I've felt like reading would be a perfect start of forming a habit. Long story short the book I've read (and was gifted by family) is Into the Abyss from Carol Shaben (still don't know how they'd picked that certain book but ok). I've read it, still finishing the other book and i'm deep into Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's tale and loving every minut of reading. Soo seeing The book in this video (not anywhere else) just made me smile. Here's to the readers and those who haven't yet discovered what a privilege it is!
Regular reading had also been shown to increase your lifespan, which is really great. Some of the reasons for this would be due to it having a calming effect and keeping the brain active which prevents dementia like you mentioned.
Something I’ve noticed, or rather I think I’ve noticed and believe, (there’s probably research somewhere on it) is that reading really helps you academically too. I read almost nonstop when I was young and in school. I always had a book in my bag, I would actually get in trouble for reading during class, and I never really struggled at all with learning. Things just clicked for me.
My dad’s an elementary school teacher and he’s also noticed that the kids who read pretty much always do better than the ones that don’t.
I mean this might be a correlation vs causation thing but it makes sense to me that reading would help.
Also something I see a lot with people who don’t like to read is because they were basically forced to by schools, and I agree that no one should be forced to read. If I didn’t already love reading I probably wouldn’t been turned off to it too. I had a hard time with the assigned books too. They were always boring or depressing or confusing or all of the above. So if that’s you, I would encourage you to give reading another try, with no deadlines or requirements. Look around a library, take your time, flip through the first couple pages to see if it’s interesting. No pressure. Just browse
TLDR: I believe reading helps with learning and school, but I don’t think schools should force kids to read.
As a reader since I was a kid, I find your video spot on, I completely identify myself with this passion, and how it is more important nowadays with the shallowness around us, reading is a catalyst for thinking and as you said it, can make a person see beyond its narrow perspective, our societies needs that more than ever. Beyond the benefits, it is so enjoyable, I hope more people will get into it through your words. Thank you Merphy for your great videos and for your joviality, cheers !
when i was young books were my besst friend. i read so much my parents would ground me by making me go outside. then i turned to social media like everyone and couldnt find myself to even finish a summary without being bored. a month ago i decided to start reading again and its like falling in love all over again.