Feel like all you do is scroll? Ever feel like you are losing IQ points through your phone screen? Reengage your brainrot with one powerful habit – Reading.
Engaging your brain on a regular basis not only has mental, emotional, and physical benefits, it also fights off some age related diseases and memory loss.
By Jayne Turner – Staff Writer
Reading Makes You Smarter – Literally!
Reading anything expands your vocabulary, improves verbal comprehension, and actively engage nearly your entire brain. From magazine articles to classic novels, online articles, almost anything you read actively combats brainrot. When you are exposed to the same content formats, meme-speak, Emoji-language, and abbreviations all day, every day, your vocabulary narrows, attention span shrinks, and dopamine receptors become overloaded. The act of “Brainrotting” acts almost like a puzzle for your brain and your neuro system rewards this with an influx of dopamine. Before you realize it, your spoken and written language skills are less refined and you become dependent – in some cases – immune to dopaminergic stimulation. Besides, wouldn’t you like to casually use words like “ephemeral” and “bumfuzzle” in your everyday life?
Flex Your Brain Muscle
In the age of endless short-form content, the ability to focus on a single book for even 15 minutes feels like a huge chore. But your brain acts like a muscle, and the more you use it, the stronger and more resilient it will become. By implementing the simple habit of reading consistently, you are protecting your brain against the threats of aging and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. The old saying, “use it or lose it” is actually true and proven scientifically.
It’s About Consistent Habit Not Quantity
Former gifted children and big-time readers know that reading every day feels like a thing of the past, something you don’t have time to do, or something that has become unimportant. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. To reap the protective brain benefits reading provides, you don’t need to pour over volumes of text for hours – just a simple 15 minutes a day will help build a healthy habit. Eventually, your brain will even begin to crave reading over the doomscrolling session it was once used to. You see, dopamine is agnostic; it doesn’t know why it is secreted, it just is; why not get your fix from a classic novel as opposed to someone lighting their hair on fire?
Hit The Library
It’s free! Anyone with an identification card can get a library card. If you’re unsure of what to read or where to start – don’t think too hard. We suggest you start with your childhood favorites; The Hunger Games are still some of my favorite books to read. Another good pick are those books that you were forced to read in class. Well, there was a reason you were forced to read them – they’re classics!
A Handmaid’s Tale and Animal Farm are short, but profound reads that might even inspire you to pick up a pen and annotate it while reading. If you’re really stumped, there is nothing quite like an outing to the library simply to browse various sections.
Peruse the aisles and don’t be afraid to judge books by their covers! If you see something that catches your eye, just pick it up! There’s no harm in doing that? What we can promise you is that by liberally sampling various titles in the library, you will find yourself reading something you would have never found otherwise. Who knows? This could lead you to your next passion or talent you never knew you had.
The simple act of reading is not complicated and really never has been. So, keep it as simple as possible. You know that Harry Potter book you’ve had for 10 years? Pick it up. Re-read it if you have to – just read something.
Rebellion, Punk Rock And Attraction
There is nothing more punk rock in this day-and-age than reading. There is also nothing as attractive and subversive as someone reading a deep, intense book. Let’s be honest with ourselves for a minute – would we be more attracted to someone slashing through obnoxious videos on their phone? Or would we like someone completely lost in a Dostoyevsky novel with darting, interested eyes? Answer that question honestly and we rest our case.
In the end, we simply want to spread the word about reading and its benefits. Books, novels, graphic novels, comics, liner notes, manuals, labels – it doesn’t really matter. Show yourself some love and just read something today – like you’re doing right now. Your rotting brain will thank you.
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Author: Jayne Turner is a freelance writer from Orange, California. She has a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience with an emphasis on language and cognition. She has ten years of musical theatre experience and a lifelong love of reading. Utterly excited by the brain, she brings a fresh Gen Z perspective to the topics that intrigue us most.