There are many studies that attempt to determine if reading is linked to better creativity. Doctors and scientists conduct experiments to see what affects reading has on your imagination. You may have experienced something like this, yourself. After you read a book, get lost in the adventure, and next time you're writing a paper for school you suddenly get a wild burst of creativity. You just write and write and write until you've finished that essay in one sitting. Creativity and a more active imagination can be connected to how much you read.

You may not believe me, especially if you're a little kid who hates reading books, but reading is very healthy for your brain! When you read, you visualize what's happening. Every word you read paints a picture in your mind, and you use that picture to go on the adventure that takes place in the book. Reading accesses your sensory cortex, the part of your brain that processes the information you receive from each of your five senses. Reading also has an affect on your left temporal cortex, which is the part of your brain that processes language. Reading works out these parts of your brain, and by doing that, supports better brain function.

Your brain is like a muscle, and when you want to make a muscle stronger, you exercise. Reading is like exercise for your brain. It makes you more creative and more imaginative. When you read and pass the information through your brain, you access your sensory cortex and left temporal cortex, and your brain becomes "stronger." According to Creative Market, reading makes you a better conversationalist, a quicker thinker, and a better problem solver (Creative Market, Why Reading Makes You More Creative).

However, it can be hard to believe things you hear from any old website. Hear it from a professional. Doctors agree with everything Creative Market has to say. In the words of Psychology Today, "Neuroscientists have discovered that reading a novel can improve brain function on a variety of levels. [...] The researchers found that becoming engrossed in a novel enhances connectivity in the brain and improves brain function. Interestingly, reading fiction was found to improve the reader's ability to put themselves in another person’s shoes and flex the imagination in a way that is similar to the visualization of a muscle memory in sports." So as you can see, even doctors believe that reading is good for your brain the way that exercise is good for all of your other muscles.

There is a lot of evidence pointing towards the correlation between reading and your brain function. Doctors, scientists, teachers, psychiatrists, and many other specialists agree that reading is the best "exercise" you can give your brain. So next time you read, think about how you could be improving your brain and all its functions.