Reading the words of great writers like Shakespeare can be a more effective therapy for the brain than popular self-help books, according to a study from the University of Liverpool (UK). The authors of the research assure that the prose of the classical writers has beneficial effects on the psyche, and that its reading stimulates the moral brain, capturing the reader's attention and provoking moments of self-reflection.
To reach this conclusion, the scientists scanned the brains of 30 volunteers as they read classic pieces of English literature. And, among other things, they detected that brain electrical activity increased as prose became more complicated . In addition, reading poetry (written by the English romantic poet William Wordsworth) increased activity in the right hemisphere of the brain, specifically in the area linked to autobiographical memory.
