Amita Vadlamudi is a former computer systems engineer with more than three decades of experience in the information technology industry. In her spare time, Amita Vadlamudi enjoys reading. A number of studies have revealed that as much as 25 percent of America’s adult population may go a full year without reading a book. Reading provides the brain with a number of neurological benefits. When reading a book or magazine article, the parts of the brain responsible for processing images and speech connect in a manner that is both healthy and challenging. In other words, in order to interpret a relatively short and simple sentence, the brain must perform a great deal more work than one might imagine.

 

Reading provides opportunity for additional brain work, and the activity can be taken at the reader's pace. When watching a film, on the other hand, audience members become spectators. When reading a book, readers can pause at any moment and further reflect on a particular phrase or description, generating additional brain activity. Some of the specific neurological benefits that can be attributed to reading include improved memory and an enlarged learning capacity.