Reading is an enriching cultural activity that deepens knowledge and can even spread knowledge and culture all around the world. Moreover, you can even sometimes relate to the characters in a story, which is said to stimulate the brain.
So how can reading a book help with brain training? When reading in a concentrated manner, a wide range of areas such as the area related to language ability and the prefrontal area related to memory both work actively. It is even possible to grow the brain’s neural circuit by performing tasks such as: repeating memorization work, remembering the contents and key points and also by reading the next sentence while remembering what you have just read.
However, lazy reading such as (with TVs or smartphones) is NOT GOOD. If you do not read intensively, your brain will not be activated. It is also recommended that the difficulty level is not too easy for you to read in a concentrated manner as well.
So what should the contents of the book be? There are a variety of genres such as businesses, cultures, assorted stories, mystery novels, fantasy and so forth, but there seems to be an interesting study about which genre best activates the brain. There are reports that areas of the brain related to the “theory of mind” is active. “Theory of mind” is a function that supports sociality, such as empathizing with characters and considering intentions, and is an area in the medial prefrontal cortex, temporal pole, and temporalo-parietal junction. It is said that by reading a story, it is possible to develop sociality, such as understanding and empathizing with the feelings of others.
There is research that the area of ​​the brain to be activated varies depending on the genre of books such as mystery novels and fantasy, so why not read books of various genres and stimulate various areas of the brain!