This article from the website Medical Daily compares brain function and development while watching television or while reading books. There are references and descriptions of several studies conducted within the last few years that focus on various measurements of brain development and cognitive function in each scenario. Can you guess which activity is better for your brain? (Hint: Your mother has been right all along)
The article is interesting, the studies themselves are very fascinating and comprehensive.
Watching Television vs Reading a Book
… But lets face it, we love television. We can’t miss our favorite shows, and watching a good movie is like taking a trip to another planet. Some of us know more about our favorite actors than we do about members of our own family. Don’t want to give up television? Try this…
Keep track of the number of hours you spend watching Netflix for one week (or whatever your preferred source of screen-time may be), then commit to read at least as many hours in a week as you watch television. Since most of us cannot spontaneously add more hours to our day, you will likely have to spend a night or two with a book in your hands instead of the television remote. When I tried this in early 2016, and really tried to keep track of the hours, I found that I typically still fell short of equal time reading and watching television. On the other hand, I was suddenly reading four to five times more than I ever had before. Spending that much time with books made me much more excited about reading, which in turn made it easier to choose an hour with a book over an hour with a glowing screen.
Read the article above, then try the challenge. Spend at least as many hours reading this week as you spend watching television… let me know how it goes.
(TIP: Finding a really, really, really good book will make this challenge much easier. Let me know if you need a recommendation.)
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