According to research done by the Emory University Center for Neuropolicy, reading a book can have a lasting on your brain. Scientists studied fMRI scans of readers an noticed lingering effects on brain activity even days after reading a novel. Reading a book resulted in heightened activity in the part of the brain connected to language.

The study also showed that reading is connected to the part of the brain associated with sensory motor activity. That means when we read, our brain simulates a similar experience to if we were actually experiencing it ourselves. This is a phenomenon called grounded cognition.

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Research from Carnegie Mellon University showed that reading can actually help to rewire parts of the brain. That’s not dissimilar to a muscle tearing and rebuilding during physical exercise. So reading is like a workout for your mind. And the more your do it, the healthier your brain is.

Haskins Laboratories for the Science of the Spoken and Written Word has shown that reading increases our working memory. There are so many mental processes happening at once, the human mind works to expand as it reads. Think of it like organically upgrading your computer’s RAM.

Neuroscientist Susan Greenfield also believes that reading can lengthen our attention spans. Because reading forces us to slow down and process a narrative or complex ideas, we have to adapt to spending more time thinking about something. This put into practice over time helps us to built a more patient mindset.

One study found that reading could help to prevent Alzheimer's— regular readers are two and a half times less likely to be diagnosed with the cognitive disease, compared with non-readers. In other words, reading can literally save your life. Or at least, give you more of it.