The bedtime story is a cherished tradition that has withstood the test of time. As kids, we all had our favorite bedtime stories that were passed down from generation to generation. Even as I’ve grown older, I just can’t give up my nightly ritual of reading a bedtime story. As I’m whisked away into the fantastical worlds of Narnia or Middle-Earth, the craziness of the day just melts away. My eyelids slowly become heavy, and I drift off into a sweet slumber.
Turns out that a nightly ritual of bedtime reading makes you smarter the next day! After a group of people read at night and had pictures of their brain taken in an MRI machine the next day, they had more connections and firing in parts of the brain that dealt with language, movement and feeling!
This is mind blowing, pun intended. If I read about being chased by the evil White Witch in Narnia, the brain cells that are responsible for running actually fire up and talk to other brain cells. It’s almost like running through the wild land of Narnia myself… minus the sweat and burning muscles.
More connections and firing in the brain is linked to higher intelligence. In fact, Einstein had more connections between certain parts of his brain compared to others. By the way, tattered copies of Don Quixote and The Brothers Karamazov, as well as works by Kant, Nietzsche, and von Goethe were discovered in his library! Personally, I would have pegged Einstein as a sci-fi kind of guy…
You are never too old to read, so grab a book and a glass of warm milk. When the sun sets, light up your brain! Sweet dreams!
What books have you been reading lately?
Bedtime reading makes you smarter notes:
-I’ve been reading The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick.
-Tanney has been reading Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors by Lizzie Collingham.