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Creative Inspiration - Read Your Way Into Another World

Be Moved by Reading

Hop, jump, skip without moving from your curled up reading position. This may seem like an odd premise but reading powerful fiction activates the areas of the brain that are associated with physical activity.

Escaping into the world of characters will have you literally feeling their senses. What's more, joining the heroes on their perilous climb up a mountain can stick with you, affecting the way you think through problems and approach your work the next day.

Run with fiction. Energetic Narrative reading increases connectivity in the areas of the brain associated with language and movement, according to a new study. The Parietal Lobe is associated with spatial sense and navigation. The Frontal lobes control emotions and judgements related to sympathy and empathy. The central Sulcus creates sensations e.g when you think of running, the neurons associated with the physical act of running light up.

Fiction that stays with you

The changes that occur in the brain last for a few days after you finish reading. It’s called shadow activity. So losing an afternoon reading “The Lord of the Rings” would actually be like going on an adventure. Emotional connections that are made in the brain can stick with you, influencing how you feel and react long after you have put down the book. The advantages can be quite far reaching, boosting emotional responses and critical thinking. So taking a break from a difficult business problem to get lost in a great story might not be a bad idea.

How far did you travel with them?

How far did they travel? The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - 627 Miles. Lord of The Rings - 1,779 Miles. The Talented Mr.Ripley - 5,400 Miles. On The Road - 17,527 Miles. Around the world in 80 days - 23,739 Miles. The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy - infinity.

Reading may not make you physically fitter but it does increase empathy. The wonderful world of story allows readers to enter the minds of characters, learning about their motivations, joys and hopes and so developing an affinity to them. One study discovered that reading fiction altered personality traits. The participants became sensitive as they related to the characters in the stories.

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Through reading about communities and the inner workings of a character’s mind, readers gain exposure to people, places and worlds that otherwise they might not have access to. All of which takes a bit of imagination which in turn helps foster further creative inspiration.

Get more out of your reading

Speed reading tips: Selective reading, expanded field of vision, give the eye extra energy. Use the blinking method, the block reading method and no backtracking!.

Speed reading tips: Selective reading, expanded field of vision, give the eye extra energy. Use the blinking method, the block reading method and no backtracking!.

By blinking more frequently whilst reading you are able to stop your eyes from focussing and zooming in on words, which slows you down. Move your mouse on and off the block quickly (less than a second) to read the sentence.


Speed reading tips: Selective reading, expanded field of vision, give the eye extra energy. Use the blinking method, the block reading method and no backtracking!.

For most of us, demanding work schedules leave us stressed and short of time, but settling into a good book might not just be the stress relief we need, it could also give us an unexpected boost when we're back in the office.

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