#3: Stories May Be Good for Your Brain

No doubt you've been told that reading is good for you. Growing up, you were likely told that the more you read, the better a reader you would become. However, if you aren't interested in being a good reader in the first place, this really isn't much incentive to read more. Neuroscientific research by Berns indicates that reading stories actually has a noticeable effect on brain function. This study showed how reading a compelling novel changed participants' neuron activity not only while they were reading but also for several days after they finished the novel that was assigned to them.