Screen Time, Reading and the Brain (Part 1)
In today’s world we are surrounded by screens and digital media. Right now, you are using a screen to view and read this post!
As parents, my husband and I have found our children do much better when we set strict limits on the amount of time they spend interacting with screens both in a single sitting and for the entire day. We’ve talked with other parents who notice the same thing. Now, current research is showing us there are very good reasons to moderate screen time both for our children and for ourselves!
As a bonus, reading books, as Mary Gallagher so powerfully shared with us in last week’s post, is a great antidote for the issues screen time can create. We’ll share some of the research on this as well. 😊
The Effects on Brain Connectivity
Screens
Researchers from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital discovered “that screen time was linked to poorer connectivity in areas that govern language and cognitive control.” (Walton, 2018)
Reading Books
In contrast, reading appeared to increase brain connectivity in those regions (Walton, 2018). When we exercise, we are encouraging our muscles to become stronger. In this same way, reading exercises the brain, encouraging it to be stronger!
In our next post we will be looking into how screens can affect Brain Chemistry! I look forward to hearing your point of view on this topic! Feel free to leave a comment or email me at terry@destinationlearn.net!
Links to Articles Referenced!
http://www.oprah.com/health/how-reading-can-improve-your-memory
https://oedb.org/ilibrarian/your-brain-on-books-10-things-that-happen-to-our-minds-when-we-read/
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