Research suggests that one of the best ways to prevent (or at least slow) Alzheimer’s and other diseases that attack the brain is to make sure that organ stays stimulated. Activities like playing chess and reading are particularly recommended. Now it seems there are additional benefits to a specific type of reading.
Sarah Begley observes in Time that novels are useful in helping people learn to connect with characters and, as result of that, other people. While reading may be a solitary activity, it can help those depressed over their seeming isolation learn that they’re not as alone as they believed. What’s more, it can enable them to develop the social skills needed to take their place in the world again. She writes:
“Even the greatest novel cannot, by itself, cure clinical depression, erase post-traumatic stress or turn an egomaniac into a self-denying saint. But it might ease a midlife crisis or provide comfort in a time of grief.”
To learn more about how novels can benefit the brain both physically and emotionally, click here.
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