Books and Your Brain Continued… Paper or Plasma

By: Tina Davidson

Reading and Your Brain

Did you know you can exercise the deep reading part of your brain quite simply? All you have to do is put down your Kindle (after you’re done reading my blog, of course) and spend some time reading a paperback book instead.

I found a great link to an article, based on a radio interview, that discusses our bi-lateral brain and why we shouldn’t only read from screens.

You can read about it here. I found the following quote interesting:

Neuroscience, in fact, has revealed that humans use different parts of the brain when reading from a piece of paper or from a screen. So the more you read on screens, the more your mind shifts towards “non-linear” reading — a practice that involves things like skimming a screen or having your eyes dart around a web page.

What about you? Did your brain just skim the quote I posted? Did you skip reading the full article?

Thanks to @movedtowrite for retweeting the link to this article on Twitter!

Writing and Your Brain

I guess we still need old-fashioned books and the experience of writing with pencil on paper. Here’s a quote from another interesting article that @tara_in_canada tweeted.

Children not only learn to read more quickly when they first learn to write by hand, but they also remain better able to generate ideas and retain information. In other words, it’s not just what we write that matters — but how.

The article also mentions the benefits of students taking notes by hand rather than on a laptop.

I think technology has its benefits (I love being able to create graphics on my laptop) but there’s still a lot to figure out when it comes to the effects of technology on the brain.

Wi-Fi and Your Brain

I posted a link previously from the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) about Wi-Fi in the schools and how schools should proceed with caution in regards to devices that emit electromagnetic frequencies (stay wired for internet if possible). When I read the recent article: “First US Public School District Limits Wi-Fi Radiation Exposure to Students and Staff,” I found this to be good news.

Ashland, Massachusetts Public Schools have implemented Wi-Fi Device “Best Practices” which include turning the Wi-Fi off when not in use and keeping devices on a table.

Let’s use technology but limit the radiation exposure is basically what the school is implementing and promoting.

Hopefully, schools aren’t trading in all our kids’ textbooks and notebooks for Chromebooks too quickly (Sorry, Google, if you were hoping to take over the school market). Hopefully, we’ll find a happy balance with technology in our homes and schools. One day my children and perhaps grandchildren may write a handwritten note to thank me for keeping them safe.

Join me, @tinabrainblog, on Twitter and let me know what interesting brain facts you’ve stumbled upon lately.

Sources:

Twitter

“Your paper brain and your Kindle brain aren’t the same thing.” The Takeaway. September 18, 2014. Editor T.J. Raphael.

“What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades.” http://www.nytimes.com. Maria Konnikova. June 2, 2014.

“First US Public School District Limits Wi-Fi Radiation Exposure to Students and Staff.” SBWire. September 25, 2015.

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Can Writing and Success Help Your Brain?

By: Tina Davidson

The Freemont Theater in San Luis Obispo on April 18, 2014

 

San Luis Obispo’s Freemont Theater felt packed at the 7 p.m. showing of Authors Anonymous this past Friday night.

I spotted many local “celebrities” of the writing community in the audience—all happy to show their support for Dave Congalton and his dream now realized on screen.

Contrary to how the writers in the movie, Authors Anonymous, were portrayed, I didn’t feel jealous as I applauded Dave Congalton, the movie’s screenwriter, when he walked down the aisle.

Dave deserved the praise—he had done the work.

During the Q & A session after the movie with director Ellie Kanner and producer Hal Schwartz, Dave explained that he had gleaned most of the material in his screenplay from his experience as a former director of Cuesta College’s Writers’ Conference.

Is Authors Anonymous Worth Seeing?

The mockumentary-style plot revolves around the reactions of members of a writers group when one of their peers gets an agent. A book deal. A movie. The cast does an excellent job of showing how NOT to deal with a friend’s success . . . if you want to stay friends . . . but I won’t give away too much.

You can download the movie on VOD (video on demand) platforms like Amazon and iTunes.  If you live in the San Luis Obispo (SLO) area, go check it out at the Movie Experience in downtown SLO.

During the movie, I heard chuckles from all sides of the theater, but it seemed like my mom was laughing the loudest. (Dr. Xiroman, a character from the movie who had taken a vow of silence, would not have approved.)  Perhaps my mom laughed loudest because she is a writer and writing teacher.  During the walk to the car after the show, we discussed the shallow world that had been created on screen—a true bonding moment for a mother and daughter who both love writing.

Writing and Jealousy

A question I was left to ponder after the movie: Are writers jealous of each others’ success?

My answer: Yeah. I think writers get jealous of each other. Typically, these feelings usually spark action to complete a project.

I’ve felt a twinge of jealousy more than once after reading stories in The Tribune, our local paper, about local authors’ latest books.

I shouldn’t expect too much spotlight since I haven’t  been “doing the work” for long. Two years ago, I won third place in the First Page competition at the Central Coast Writers’ Conference for my memoir piece, “The Ultimate Repairman.”  Last year I was expecting to win at least a second or first place, but I won . . . nothing.

The story I submitted, a fearful tale of spending the night with my new husband in his grandfather’s junkyard, paled in comparison to the winning story about a fragile childhood spent in a hellacious foreign orphanage.

We can only “write what we know,” and since I am from middle-class Orange County, with parents who have been married for 30+ years, I convinced myself I didn’t have a chance at competing with that kind of material. (But the truth was: she wrote better.)

However, despite the jealousy, writers can move on and gain valuable insight from other writers.   Recently, I’ve found great writing advice from Anne R. Allen’s blog and joined a writing circle with SEO expert, Johnny Base, on Google +.

Success and Your Brain

I’ve been inspired enough by Dave Congalton’s movie success to get back to completing my projects and taking more time to let my brain “do the work.”   Author’s Anonymous is not Dave’s last screenplay; he hinted at another project that was in the works. Will his brain get better with each success?

In terms of brain chemistry, the more times you succeed at something, the longer your brain stores the information that allowed you to do so well in the first place. That’s because with each success, our brain releases a chemical called dopamine. When dopamine flows into the brain’s reward pathway (the part responsible for pleasure, learning and motivation), we not only feel greater concentration but are inspired to re-experience the activity that caused the chemical release in the first place. Source: Entrepreneur.com

I can’t wait to see what Dave will come up with next.  I would like my mirror neurons to pick up on some of that success.

Have you written anything I need to be jealous of?  I really would love to hear about it.

Creative writing and reading are important activities to keep your brain healthy.  I’ve included some links below on how writing contributes to brain health.

Further Reading:

Check out the article, Writing and the Brain: Neuroscience Shows the Pathways to Learning, to learn about how the brain benefits from being part of a writers group. “Greater activation throughout the brain occurs when information is acquired through the diversity of experiences provided by peer collaboration.”

Watch this short video of Dr. Richard Zogby of The Center for Orthopedic & Spine Care at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center.  He recommends writing with a pen and pencil (not the computer) for 10 to 15 minutes to stimulate your nervous system.

If you work with students check out, The Brain-Based Benefits of Writing for Math and Science, and learn how writing helps develop executive function.

The BrainMass shares some health benefits from creative writing in the post, The Benefits of Writing for Pleasure.