The power of reading aloud
Reading out loud is not just for children. For grownups, it can improve their mind and beat loneliness
When was the last time you read
someone a story? If you have young children in your life, chances are you’ve
done it recently. But did you know that rather than just keeping little ones
happy, there are serious perks to making story time a life-long habit?
Scientists say there are mental and
physical benefits to be gained from reading aloud — it could even help you live
longer. All you need is an engaging paperback, a voice and a bit of time.
Meghan Cox Gurdon in her book, The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of
Reading Aloud reveals some of the benefits of reading out loud:
Ditch the phone
Where screens and technology divide people even when they
are in the same room, sitting with a book in physical proximity brings
benefits. Additionally, when someone reads aloud and someone else listens,
their brains synchronise so the storyteller and the storyhearer are
experiencing the same brain activity and release of neuro-chemicals. This
process, known as neural coupling, was shown by US scientists using fMRI scanners
at Princeton and explains why reading with others can create a sense of unity
and closeness. In an age where loneliness and anxiety are endemic, this
discovery is more fascinating than ever.
Keeps people connected to each other
Loneliness causes stress, and long-term or chronic stress
leads to more elevations of a key stress hormone, cortisol, which is linked to
inflammation in the body. This leads to increased risk of heart disease,
diabetes, joint disease, depression, obesity and death. In 2010, a UK survey of
elderly adults who joined a weekly reading group reported they had better
concentration, became less agitated and were better at socialising.
Use it or lose it
Language is like a muscle — it wastes away if you aren’t
using it. Reading aloud with other adults, especially older adults, helps to
keep everyone’s brains in good condition. In Japan, which has many elderly
people, clinicians are exploring how daily reading can sharpen cognitive skills
that have been dulled by age and lack of use.
In 2017, a study carried out at the
University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, found reading aloud improves recall
by 15 per cent, so it is no surprise that there are positive results to be had
for dementia patients, too. And research at Yale University found people who
read books — and were read to — live an average of two years longer than
nonreaders.
Getting started
Start small. Begin where you are and do it today. You
don’t need to read aloud for an hour, or a year, or forever. Just begin. Pick
up a book or a magazine or even a packet of breakfast cereal, and start reading
to someone you love.
Have fun
Reading aloud isn’t supposed to be work. Just read what’s
on the page and let the words cast their spell. Don’t worry if you feel shy
about reading out loud, lots of people do. Stick with it. If your listeners
want to get up and move around, let them. Some people focus better when their
hands are busy. There’s no ‘correct’ way to read aloud, there’s just your way.
Source | Economic
Times | 28th January 2019
Regards
Mr. Pralhad Jadhav
Research
Scholar (IGNOU)
Senior
Manager @ Knowledge Repository
Khaitan
& Co
Mobile @
9665911593
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