How Fiction Makes Our Brains Better
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- Опубликовано: 8 янв 2014
- Merriam-Webster declared 'science' the 2013 word of the year. But can reading something other than data and facts, say a work of fiction, help improve brain function? Anthony explains the many possible benefits that reading a fictitious book can have on the brain.
Read More:
A Novel Look at How Stories May Change the Brain
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/...
"Many people can recall reading at least one cherished story that they say changed their life."
Novel Finding: Reading Literary Fiction Improves Empathy
www.scientificamerican.com/art...
"The types of books we read may affect how we relate to others."
A novel look at how stories may change the brain
esciencecommons.blogspot.com/2...
"Many people can recall reading at least one cherished story that they say changed their life."
Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Novel on Connectivity in the Brain
online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/...
"We sought to determine whether reading a novel causes measurable changes in resting-state connectivity of the brain and how long these changes persist."
Reading Literary Fiction Improves Theory of Mind
www.sciencemag.org/content/342...
"Understanding others' mental states is a crucial skill that enables the complex social relationships that characterize human societies."
READING LITERARY FICTION IMPROVES "MIND-READING" SKILLS
FINDS A STUDY FROM THE NEW SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH
www.newschool.edu/pressroom/pr...
"Heated debates about the quantifiable value of arts and literature are a common feature of American social discourse."
lifehacker.com/5965703/the-sci...
www.scientificamerican.com/art...
www.wired.com/business/2011/03...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year Is ... Science!
news.discovery.com/history/mer...
"While the Oxford University Press honored "selfies" as its 2013 Word of the Year, celebrating those quickly snapped self-portraits, Merriam-Webster is taking a more academic approach to its annual linguistic spotlight."
Word of the Year 2013
www.merriam-webster.com/info/2...
"The Word of the Year, with the greatest increase in lookups, may surprise many people: science."
Watch More:
Best Geek Reads 2013
• Best Geek Reads of 2013
TestTube Wildcard
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Sherlock: Master of Science
• Super Sleuth Scientist...
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Imagination is more important than knowledge. -Albert Einstein
Thanks
FRISHR and school destroys creativity in exchange for temporary knowledge
@@plasma8321 Not just temporary knowledge. Sometimes also useless knowledge.
Aristoteles mostly useless knowledge
Doesn’t help fictions case
I read almost exclusively fiction, so it's nice to know it's more beneficial for my brain than I first thought :D
I am going to go on my couch. Turn on a light. Get a book. AND MAKE SOME MAD GAINS!
***** Uhh... Uhh... Hi!
The Worst Channel Nice! I read a book about some pigs making bad decisions for building materials for their houses... Kept getting blown down you know.
really what did you read? in the past 6 months I have read around 5 200ish page books like 6 300ish page books and like 5 200-500 page books :3
rustyfive I read a series called "Rangers Apprentice" (Never finished the last 2 books though, there are like 12 books or something like that but they are aimed for middle school/early high-school people). Then I started "Lord of the Rings", which I am on the last book. Next I am going to read some of the extended universe books for Star Wars.
Tiki Torchs omg the rangers apprentice is amazing I need to re-read it X3 and I need to read the last book
That is probably why most people can visualize what they are reading in their minds and 'feel like they're there' as they read sentence after sentence in most books.
Our teachers should totally see this video. It's a fact! Changing the causal, boring 'bulletlike' lesson into a story is so much better. For example my biology teacher, makes class so interresting, because he gives us the idea that we are actually in our bodies and explains functions in a similar way as if you were telling a tale! It's really astonishing how easily you remember details even if you are not fully focused to the actual subject! :D
Why aren't my science teachers so good, I want to remember every science fact I am ever told so I can make the next scientific breakthrough, I need to start working harder and question my theorys and but them to the test.
I mostly read literary fiction and classic novels. I'll recommend A Clockwork Orange, Lord of the flies and Lolita.
Elizabeth Jensen Earthly Powers and Pale Fire are better.
Lord of the Rings.
My God, Lolita and Lord of the Flies are so good! 😍
Elizabeth Jensen What about 1984?
Best way to learn.
Trust!!
Stories and play
THE LORD OF THE RINGS AND THE HOBBIT BY JOHN RONALD REUL TOLKIEN.
FIction is great, the brain needs fiction, as our imagination is a huge part of us.
Get any Dostoevsky book you can and read it. Thank me later.
^This, the guy actually puts so much detail into his books, its crazy
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky was great.
'Flowers for Algernon' is by far the best fictional novel I've ever read! My brain was constantly hungry for more, and I've been mentally digesting it ever since I read it!
Yes, definitely, that book is gold.
Read “the story of your life” by Ted chiang I think you’ll like that one too
Mistborn is my favorite fantasy book, and it does very well showing the different thoughts, feelings, and view points of the various characters.
I have so much of an easier time remembering facts, and my grounded cognition is astounding. Why am I so different?
A proton going at 99.9997% the speed of light is 430* bigger than normal because E=MC*C, I don't have a squaring boten, sorry. Is that normal (to remember). Being special is good in my opinion. I prefer making theorys though, often about the universe including one about dark energy.
I suggest Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, the I am Number Four series by Pittacus Lore, The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, and the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. They're all super exciting and well written!
I agree with your last point! I also tend to feel guilty when reading fiction, but it's awesome to hear that reading fiction is not a frivolous activity after all! I'm glad it has mental health benefits! I came here after seeing the Ted Talk on the related topic. Good video. Thanks for sharing the information.
I recommend The Sound of Thunder by Taylor Caldwell. It is a very well written book that questions a lot of things most people just accept instantly.
The Giver. One of the best novels i have read.
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell is entirely about the various means of how narrative storytelling, fiction or non-fiction, affects the way we think and affects society as a whole.
In Steven Pinker's non-fiction book The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, he argues that the historical decline in violence (the rise of liberal democracy, the various campaigns for human rights, and the declining frequency of warfare) can be directly traced back to the rise of literacy and the reading of fiction.
You are basically writing my essay for uni right now- thank you!!!
No way, it's leonard hofstadter
"The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss.
+Taureanbeaver Came down here to post this
Guys. improve your IQ in a short period of time does not need to be hard (I used to think it did). I'll give you some tips right now. Look for a popular intelligence boost system called Rotogenflux Methods (just search it on google). Thanks to it I have increase your IQ of 20 points. I should not even be speaking about it cause I do not really want a bunch of other guys out there running exactly the same game but whatever. I'm just in a excellent mood right now so I will share the wealth haha.
Fiction definitely makes our brains better. It uses more of it and in more meaningful ways than just facts. All stories help us learn, no matter how well-written they are based on the opinions of so-called 'literary experts'. Read what genuinely interests you, no matter what anyone else thinks, because you will engage with it more and you will learn more. For example, I read a lot of literary fiction and popular fiction when I was younger, but now as an adult, I'm reading more manga, because those stories are just engaging me more right now. In my opinion, I'm learning just as much as I did when I was younger. Anything that expands your awareness and perspective is a good thing.
"The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" series by Douglas Adams. Absolutely fantastic books!
I second this motion!
This is really interesting! Thanks for helping me with my argumentative speech
hey anthony there is a book called "Playboy" there are lots of volumes of this one too! and they are also based on movies from 5 minutes to 1hour+
you should try it ;)
Is it fapable?
guncluts you can play downstairs if you like and if you have a deep cave you can also put a long sausage in there for the best results!
I like "Brave New World" and "Island" by Aldous Huxley. I also like "And Then There Were None", "Clockwork Orange" "Animal Farm" and "Oedipus The King" but my favorite book is "Anthem" by Ayn Rand, if anyone likes dystopian novels they should read that book.
i loved the shadow falls series. it's about this teenage girl who's trying to find her identity, but in a different way. she finds out she has some supernatural powers, but isn't quite sure exactly what they are. there are five books and you will not believe how the series ends
"On Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcìa Màrquez. A classical of Literature (particularly Latin American Literature). It blew my mind I finished it.
I remember when I was a child in primary school, when my teachers would shout at little old me for reading Keystage3 (early highschool for you americans out there) textbooks during "story time", when we were meant to read generic, poorly written books for children.
I even got sent to the headmistress once, who upon hearing why my teachers were telling me off, told the teachers to "stop being so ridiculous, let him read educational books if he wants" (something like that..), which is basically saying "fuck off" on my behalf while I, being a child, was still in the room :)
Safe to say I left this state primary school to join a well-known private school while the other students.... well.... let's just say they didn't have to *pay* for their further education ;)
Wow... those ex-teachers of yours sound like they have pea-sized brains (no offence to actually smart teachers). I mean, a person might be my teacher but who the heck are they in my life to tell me what to (or not to) read!?
I feel for you O.o
***** Haha, cheers :)
I'm studying A-level Bio, Phys, Chem & Math (with mechanics) now, so the choices in reading I've made have certainly benefited me! :D
Sure sounds that way! Battle against idiots! Lol
My teachers refused to let me read higher level childrens fiction books. We had this stupid dot system. I was forced to check out Incredibly badly written childrens books and not allowed to have any good books.
Edythe Rutledge That sounds.... sounds... so... so... *can't find a good enough word*
Fun fact: A month passed since my last reply on this section! XD
Hunger Games seems like literature to me. It was well written, and the character's reactions and how they changed over time made sense.
Thanks for the reminder, I've been wanting to start on Brave New World for a few weeks now.
My writing teacher had us read V for Vendetta aloud in class sophomore year of high school. Good times!
Does reading Dr. Seuss' count?
you should read The fault in our stars
This is really interesting! Thanks for helping me with my argumentative speech!
Jane Austen, I love her novels. She has a brilliant way of describing manners and proprieties of the old english ways. Not for every one
Emma & I is a book I'm reading at the moment, about a guide dog❤ also I'm reading Lord of the Flies..😊
3 suggestions of novels:
- Philip K. Dick's "UBIK". Simply the best sci-fi novel ever written.
- Philip K. Dick's "Valis". It will blow your mind but might be a little too "out there". That's targeted at a more intellectual audience.
- Roger Zelazny's "Amber" series... but only the first 5 books composing the "Corwin Arc".
Thanks
This is great! I've felt for a long time that I should read more novels and stuff, but in a way I thought it would be a waste of time, so I read more factual and educational texts. But not fiction reading can be an exercise for my brain too! Also I love talking about literature and stories and kind of having them as a reference point for my life. But would watching Game of Thrones count for this in some way? I mean you wouldn't be interpreting words and stuff the same way you would when you're reading, but you still see characters and plot.
The Dark is Rising Sequence, Nancy Drew books, Hunchback of Notre Dame, or Dracula if you're into vampires and gothic love stories. They're all books that I've spent my childhood and early adolescence reading. Wonderful novels.
Ender's game series, halo series, maximim ride series, bean series [parallel to ender's game series], eon dragoneye reborn, eona the last dragoneye, and there's a wide array of star wars books. These should keep you busy for a while.
The Ender's Game series and the Bean series are some of the best books I have ever read.
In my opinion Maximum Ride took a steep downhill after the third or fourth book.
Edie Chno true. plus the end of the last one was a major slap in the face
+1 for Ender's Game
What about biographies? I don't really read fiction books.
Fearless Calisthenics: Vinny yeah same
Vinny Marley if it’s autobiographies than you can still view the world through their shoes making you see a new perspective. Non-fiction is great if you enjoy doing it and still learn something new because you will associate fun with learning
The Lord Of The Rings, have read it like 3-4 times and it never ceases to amaze me. the detail and the amount of work but in that trilogy is beautiful.
brave new world one of my fav books ever. read it in 11th grade and it really impacted me.
Try We if you liked Brave New World.
Everyone should read discworld, the whole darn series, start to finish. Started on that 2 years ago or so, im a bit over halfway through em now. Cant believe how good that series is. The first book or two might take a liiil while to get their charm through, but just keep at it...
how many are there
Remi BloodWolf Theres 39 books out, with a 40th coming up. Its not one huge sequential epic tho, its separate, mostly independent stories (with a few exceptions, like the first two books) with recurring characters, happening in the same very strange setting you get to slowly discover over time. New characters are introduced and existing characters evolve, so reading tthe books in order does improve the experience quite a bit. Its smart and funny.
See what I mean? 15,000 pages!
'Swordspoint', by Ellen Kushner. BEST. NOVEL. EVER. It *really* delves into the psychology of all the characters, while also being fast-paced, emotional, beautifully written, riveting, and just all around brilliant. Cannot recommend it enough.
The Name of the Wind is an excellent series. The first book is captivating. Also, The Bartimaeus Trilogy is amazing!!
What about A song of ice and fire?
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I swear by this book. It is absolutely amazing and I think anyone could love this book. :)
This Shipping News. Your brain will go for a spin and a half! I'd love to see research done on reading books that lack syntax, but is rich with descriptions of emotions and scenarios.
So to my understanding of what he's saying, reading a novel is good for you and activate your grounded cognition (relieving the story, which has something to do with imagination skill?). Also, reading any fiction novel improves language receptivity in every field of studies such as science, math, history, philosophy, etc.
However, if I want to improve your empathy (understanding the emotion/situation of others) then I need to find a literary novel and not just any novel. It has to be a literary novel to have the effect of the improvement.
Do I get this right?
Is it better to read one book at a time or more books at the same time?😮
Well it's better to read one book. So that you won't get confused on which part is which on the 1st and 2nd book. But if you want to read more books at the same time. Go for it.
Well according to a creationist, a science textbook IS a work of fiction. lol
Well it's a good thing they don't read them.
Hilarious!
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. Great world building, great characters, great plot. And very unique as well!
One of he best series I have read is "Scott Pilgrim vs The World"
Reading books is good, mkay?
BUT WHAT IF I'VE ALREADY READ BRAVE NEW WORLD???!!!???
I am open to suggestions...
Someone else suggested Ender's Game
Well... been there, done that. Sry :D
Anything else?
1984?
Lord of the Rings
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Robert M. Pirsig's Philosophical novel written in a form of road trip book about metaphysics of quality. This book has raised my intelligence more than any other book.
Jane Eyre. C. Bronte is so good at describing people's minds, feelings, emotions. So much description. All beautifully written.
Game of Thrones
A song of ice and fire?
Dune?
Neuromancer
The cronics of Elric
Anything from asimov
What I'm inferring from this is that if we feed ourselves information in a narrative form, instead of in a linear or logic form, our brain grabs and organizes that information in an easier way.
Doesn't even have to be fiction, could be maths or language, as long as it follows a narrative.
I'm reading Honor Harrington right now. I really love it. It is free for download now.
The stranger! Albert Camus. Great book!
Lina Marcela Yes. It is!
HP Lovecraft the Complete Collection :B
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. So much twisting and turning in the plot your brain is sure to grow!
The Dresden Files and Tales of the Otori are two of my favorite book series.
The Illiad by Homer
What about playing video games? They are fictional, and make you think
Especially Warcraft 3, Frozen Throne.
Witcher is the way to go.
Video games are not the same as literature. The characters don't have enough complexity, because that would distract from the game itself
It's not a matter of whether it's fiction or not, in a book everything is in your head, and that takes more work because in a videogame, the visuals are laid out for you.
Scarlet5680 Although gaming gives us better problem solving skills, readers have broader and more convoluted imaginations than gamers.
I was reading Brave New World before watching this video. I triumphantly picked up Brave New World when he mentioned it. :D
Just read some Issac asimov, you can't go wrong there. One of my favorites is " the billiard ball"
Brave New World is an awesome book.
Okay, I'll check it out, thank you.
Holy Piss, I read a lot of fiction every day.
Grounded cognition - I've always wondered about how when I play a song in my head, my vocal chords match the tune of the singing as if I'm singing along with the song - could that be related?
This is amazing!!! :D
Try Dune by Frank Herbert. A deeply thoughtful approach to planetary science, world religions, pre-cognition, limited resources, politics, martial arts, tactics, survival, ecology and the hero's journey.
Nothing beats Angels & Demons by Dan Brown.
Edrylfher Lucas Amazing book, Inferno isn't that good enough but I really liked the end
Really? I've read two Dan Brown books and they weren't good at all. I might give the one you mentioned a shot.
This explains so much. I'm not even joking.
so how many fiction books are you meant to read until you experience the benefits? (Or is there a set number?)
There is also the issue of bullshit ideas, unsavory attitudes and horrifying biases being ingrained due to cognitive grounding due to the content and reasoning processes of the characters and groups inside the piece of fiction. These are slightly resimulated in real life THANKS to said fiction...
Shounen/battle-shounen, most popular comic/movie fiction and a number of literary fiction works have these issues.
Like having some sort of extreme racism as a plot device to differentiate the "good guys" or the "bad guys"... the literal act of promoting false negative ad oversimplified stereotype against those who are different than you in some way...or like having the opponent have characteristics that are popular culture wise subtly portrait as negative traits (ex.. being more feminine, having different beliefs than the protagonist or the culture of the intended reader, physical traits etc)..[btw when they do fight against racism of one sorts they then or later commit other forms of heavier racism acts]
or the idea of "good guy" "bad guy" and good and evil black and white... complete oversimplification and marginalization of the "others" as evil (lord of the rings [all non euro/white-like races are wild,evil, savage])
Or having the idea that "evil" can be beaten or pushed back or killed via violent means versus finding the root of the problem...which is usually oppression itself caused by the groups related to the "good guys" in some way but hushed down and portrayed as something minor.
OR that the "others" are not human or are dehumanized in someway, in a process type way, something VERY REPLICATABLE in real life mental processing and being promoted by such works
OR women even and ESPECIALLY the strong ones, exist to be demeaned and subservient by/to men; to be sexualized and objectified. With the "valiant traits" of women (actually even men) being more "masculine" and negative traits being those that are more "feminine" (unless of course, its women who do/have it for subservience and objectification FOR men.) When neither "masculine" or "feminine" is good or bad or rightfully descriptive of the sex. Why is it bad/weird for a woman OR man to be more "feminine"?
The real problem isnt that these exists in fiction especially literary fiction and pop fiction(which ever medium it maybe.) The problem lies in not the act or existence, but the process. Just like cognitive grounding teaches us to be more creative and understanding of concepts, it can also negatively embed in us attitudes and mental processes of things that make you into a horrible person. It's a double edged sword.
So yes, you can DEFINITELY get smarter,creative and more empathetic via good fiction through cognitive grounding. However, if you are not careful, you can also REINFORCE "negative behavior" and attitudes through the same tool.
TV TROPES!!! But yeah, you make a good point. Real Life is not a piece of fiction, and it tends not to work that way.
Thanks for the free essay
Jk
I'm a huge sucker for anything Vampire or Wahammer franchise related.
Well except the sparkling Vamps.. they're no fun
Warhammer novels are silly fun, reading through the Ciaphas Cain novels now and they are a hoot :)
latest book I've read is Nocturne the Tome of Fire Trilogy
Watership down, raptor red and the dragon lance series comes to mind for great books. Wheel of time is another great series.
I'm starting my fiction collection. I'm reading Darkness at Noon, and my favourite one so far is 1984 followed by 3 Day Road
Welp, looks like no-one's done this yet, so.....
WAT ABUT TEH BIBLE! lelelelel
NB: Let's be glad that this is a troll-free zone; so far. O_O
The Lord Of The Rings.
The Strange and beautiful sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton came out March 2014 and it is full of imaginative, and lyrical prose it's one of the best books I have ever read.
Thank you for your tips
The Fault in Our Stars
"Flowers for Algernon" the novel. It's a light good read. It is sort of a sci-fi and I loved it.
I would definitely recommend the His Dark Materials series, which starts with The Golden Compass. Very well written, interesting story, and does toy with some bigger themes than just pure fantasy.
I stopped reading fiction several years ago ( just book, I still kept on reading comic books), but this will make me rethink my choices.
The Elemental Series and The Rylee Adamson Novels by Shannon Mayer are fantastic and action packed!
+Jacob Yoness It really is :) That book makes you really think at the same time, being one of the best fiction books I have ever read
I know it would sound stupid, but the best thing I've red this year was the journal in Witcher 2....which was awesome, well written, interesting to read and better than most of current pop fiction to be honest.
Not a book, per se, but I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream and The Bet are two great short stories that you really need to read.
Name of the Wind, i was half way through the first book when I established it to be my new all time favorite.
The Host. It's really good. :)
The time of m'y life Cecilia Ahren is a good start to read in literature
I have been reading non fiction for the longest time, because I could not find an intellectual fiction novel that I'd appreciate. I ended up finding that history fiction is my new favorite genre now. The book I found is called "Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker". I'm a fashion designer and I like history so it worked out well. I hope they helps you out in some way to find a novel you'd like. Good luck!