Does Reading Make You Smarter? The Science Behind the Habit

The Connected Brain: Reading Strengthens Your “White Matter”

The first way reading “builds” a better brain is physical. For a long time, we viewed the brain as a static organ. But neuroscience has confirmed the concept of “neuroplasticity” the idea that the brain physically changes its structure in response to experience. And reading is one of the most powerful experiences you can give it.

When you read a sentence, you are not just decoding symbols. Your brain is simulating the experience. When you read the word “cinnamon,” your olfactory cortex (responsible for smell) lights up. When you read “He kicked the ball,” your motor cortex (responsible for movement) activates.

This simulation is complex. It requires multiple, distinct regions of the brain to communicate at high speed. As one scientist, Gregory Berns, noted after a landmark 2013 study at Emory University:

“The neural changes that we found associated with physical sensation and movement systems suggest that reading a novel can transport you into the body of the protagonist.”

— Dr. Gregory Berns, Neuroscientist, Emory University

This is not just a metaphor. The Emory study had participants read a novel (“Pompeii”) over nine days. Researchers found that after the reading, fMRI scans showed significantly increased connectivity in the participants’ brains. The two key areas were the left temporal cortex (the primary hub for language) and the central sulcus (the brain’s main sensory and motor region).

These connections are made of “white matter.” Think of white matter as the brain’s “interstate highway system.” It is the insulated cabling that allows different, specialized regions to share information quickly and efficiently. A brain with weak white matter is like a city with only back roads. A brain with strong white matter, reinforced by activities like reading, has a high-bandwidth fiber optic network.

This increased connectivity is, quite literally, the physical architecture of “smarter” thought. It allows for faster information retrieval, better pattern recognition, and a more integrated, holistic understanding of complex problems. It is the hardware upgrade that makes all the other “software” of your intelligence run better.

The Focused Brain: Deep Reading as an Antidote to Skimming

The second, and perhaps most urgent, benefit of reading concerns how we think. We live in a digital age that is rewiring our brains for a specific kind of “reading”: the skim.

When you scroll through a social media feed or a news website, you are not “deep reading.” You are skimming. You are hunting for keywords, extracting the gist, and making rapid-fire judgments. This process is fast, efficient, and deeply impatient. It has trained our brains to prefer short, simple, and emotionally charged information.

This has a cost. Maryanne Wolf, a neuroscientist and author of “Reader, Come Home,” argues that this constant skimming is eroding our cognitive patience. We are losing the ability to slow down and engage in the “deep reading” process that complex texts demand.

Deep reading is the antidote. It is a slow, deliberate, and immersive act. It is the cognitive process that involves:

• Critical Analysis: Pausing to ask, “Is this argument valid?”

• Inference: Understanding what the author isn’t saying (the subtext).

• Analogy & Empathy: Connecting the text to your own life and the lives of others.

• Introspection: Reflecting on how the text makes you feel and think.

This process is not just different from skimming; it is neurologically different. It is a form of sustained, voluntary attention. And in an economy where “focus” is the new superpower, deep reading is the single best way to train it. It is a “zen” practice for the mind, strengthening your ability to filter out noise, resist distraction, and follow a single, complex line of reasoning from beginning to end.

This ability to maintain focus is a cornerstone of intelligence. It is the prerequisite for solving any difficult problem, whether it is in math, law, programming, or human relationships.

The Empathic Brain: How Reading Teaches Us to “Read” People

This third benefit is the most surprising, and perhaps the most important. Reading, particularly reading literary fiction, makes us measurably better at understanding other human beings.

This skill is known in psychology as “Theory of Mind” (ToM). It is the ability to recognize and attribute mental states beliefs, desires, intentions, and emotions to others. It is, in short, the ability to “read” social cues and understand that other people have an inner life as complex as your own. It is the foundation of empathy and emotional intelligence (EQ).

But how can reading a book train a real-world social skill?

A groundbreaking 2013 study by David Comer Kidd and Emanuele Castano found the answer. They divided participants into groups. Some read “literary fiction” (complex, character-driven works). Others read “popular fiction” (plot-driven, genre works). Others read non-fiction, or nothing.

Afterward, all participants took tests designed to measure their Theory of Mind. The results were staggering. The group that read literary fiction showed a significant and immediate increase in their ability to “read” the emotions and intentions of others. The other groups showed no change.

The researchers concluded that popular, plot-driven fiction is “easy.” The characters are often stereotypes, and their motivations are clear. The reader is simply “transported” by the plot.

Literary fiction, however, is work. The characters are often ambiguous, complex, or unreliable. The plot is secondary to their internal psychology. The reader is not “told” what a character is feeling. The reader is forced to deduce it from their dialogue, their small gestures, and their contradictions.

This “work” is a simulation. When you read literary fiction, you are practicing the exact same cognitive muscles you use when you try to figure out your boss, your partner, or a new acquaintance in real life. You are, as psychologist Keith Oatley puts it, running a “simulation of social worlds.”

“When we read about other people, we can enter their minds and share their experiences… We are practicing our social skills, entering the minds of others, and seeing the world from their point ofTview.”

— Dr. Keith Oatley, Cognitive Psychologist, University of Toronto

This is why people who read are often better at “reading” social signals. Their brains have run thousands of these “social simulations,” making them more adept at understanding the complex, often hidden, motivations of the people around them.