The Effects on Brain Chemistry

Screens
Our brains are wondrous and complex creations. At any given moment, neurons are firing off messages to other parts of the body or to other sections of the brain itself! These messages range from “I’m hungry” to “That hurt” to “I am sleepy.”

These same neurons also contribute to the production of chemicals within the brain that determine feelings and emotions. When overusing screens, research shows this can cause addiction by increasing that “feel-good” part of the brain. While it should be noted that it is possible to become addicted to anything, we are more likely to become addicted to the things within our reach. Such as our phones, laptops, gaming systems or televisions.

Reading Books
How is reading different? When reading your brain is taking the time to pause and consider what you read, digesting everything piece by piece. When you are watching a TV show or movie, you are almost never going to catch every little detail and, often, it is gone too fast for you to fully appreciate what it is presenting.

One could liken this to eating sweets. Eating a sweet isn’t going to fill you up in the same way that a balanced meal will. This doesn’t mean that eating a sweet or watching TV is all bad, but it should be limited!

Links to Articles Referenced!

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2018/04/16/how-too-much-screen-time-affects-kids-bodies-and-brains/#62d9c39e1549

https://medium.com/@alltopstartups/the-reading-brain-why-your-brain-needs-you-to-read-every-day-f5307c50d979

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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