Reading Changes your Brain, let me explain.

Summary

In this video, the creator shares their journey to build a reading habit amidst the distractions of Netflix and social media. They delve into the neurological benefits of reading, such as increased temporal lobe activity linked to memory and lower dementia risk. The creator outlines three strategies: starting with small daily reads, using Kindle to archive and review highlights, and setting dedicated reading times. They also plan to hold themselves accountable by reviewing a book each month, encouraging viewers to subscribe for updates.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker is determined to build a reading habit despite distractions like Netflix.
• 🧠 Reading involves a complex process starting from visual recognition to language comprehension in the brain.
• 🔍 The 'letterbox' in the temporal lobe is crucial for recognizing letters and forming words.
• 💡 Reading can have neurological benefits, including increased left temporal lobe activity and potentially lower risks of dementia.
• 📈 Reading is linked to emotional regulation and may help in reducing stress and anxiety.
• 🗣️ Reading can improve verbal recall and the ability to retrieve words quickly.
• 📘 The speaker uses 'The Daily Stoic' on Kindle to start their day with a small dose of reading.
• 🔑 The strategy of reading a little in the morning tricks the brain into reading more later in the day.
• 🖼️ Kindle's highlighting feature helps in remembering important points from books, but summarizing in Notion was too cumbersome.
• 🔔 Readwise is a tool that sends daily email reminders of Kindle highlights, aiding in retaining information.
• 🛌 Establishing a bedtime reading routine, even if it's just a few pages, is part of the habit-building process.
• 📈 The speaker plans to use their channel for accountability by reviewing the best book they read each month.

Q & A

What is the primary goal of the video?

The primary goal of the video is to share strategies for building a reading habit and sticking to it.

What does the speaker discuss about the brain's process when reading?

The speaker discusses how the brain processes patterns and shapes from the page, recognizes letters and words in the temporal lobe, and determines their meaning and pronunciation in the frontal lobe and other areas.

How does the speaker describe the benefits of reading in terms of brain activity and health?

The speaker mentions a study showing that reading 30 pages a night can increase left temporal lobe activity, which is linked to memory and lower risks of dementia. Reading is also associated with emotional regulation and verbal recall.

What is the speaker's strategy for tricking their brain into reading more?

The speaker's strategy is to read a small dose of reading, like two pages of 'The Daily Stoic' in the morning, to trick their brain into thinking they've already read something and might as well read more.

How does the speaker use Kindle to enhance their reading experience?

The speaker uses the Kindle app to read in the morning and highlights parts that resonate with them. They also use a website called Readwise to receive daily email reminders of their favorite principles from the books they've read.

What is the purpose of summarizing book highlights into a Notion page according to the speaker?

The purpose is to create an archive of what has been learned from the books, but the speaker found this method too much extra work and didn't stick to it.

What alternative to summarizing into a Notion page did the speaker find more effective?

The speaker found using Readwise more effective, as it sends them five Kindle highlights and reminds them of their favorite principles from the books they've read.

What is the speaker's final habit to implement in their reading routine?

The speaker's final habit is to set reading times, specifically reading something before bed each night, even if it's just a few pages.

Why did the speaker choose not to read creative books on Kindle?

The speaker chose not to read creative books on Kindle because they believe half the experience is lost due to the visual nature of such books, which is not well captured on a Kindle.

How does the speaker plan to hold themselves accountable for their reading habit?

The speaker plans to hold themselves accountable by making a book review of the best book they've read each month and posting it on their channel.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Building a Reading Habit

The speaker discusses their struggle with establishing a reading habit amidst the distractions of platforms like Netflix. They dive into the neurological benefits of reading, exploring how the brain processes text and the cognitive advantages it offers, such as improved memory and reduced risk of dementia. The speaker also shares their personal strategies for increasing reading, including starting with small doses, using Kindle to archive and review highlights, and setting dedicated reading times before bed.

05:01

🗓 Accountability Through Book Reviews

In the second paragraph, the speaker outlines their commitment to maintaining their reading habit by holding themselves accountable through public means. They plan to review the best book they read each month on their channel, using this as a motivational tool to ensure consistency. The speaker invites viewers to subscribe for more content related to their medical training and video-making journey, and they humorously ask for reminders to keep them on track with their book reviews.

Keywords

💡Reading habit

A reading habit refers to the regular practice of reading books or other written materials. In the video, the creator discusses their struggle with establishing a consistent reading routine amidst distractions like Netflix. The theme revolves around building and maintaining a reading habit for cognitive and emotional benefits.

💡Neurology

Neurology is the branch of medicine dealing with the nervous system and its disorders. The script mentions the creator's interest in neurology, particularly the brain's processes when reading. It is related to the video's theme as it provides a scientific basis for the benefits of reading and the formation of reading habits.

💡Temporal lobe

The temporal lobe is a region of the brain involved in processing auditory information and memory. The video script explains that reading activates the temporal lobe, which is linked to memory and emotional regulation. This concept is crucial as it supports the argument for the cognitive advantages of reading.

💡Dementia

Dementia is a term for a group of symptoms indicating a decline in cognitive abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life. The script cites studies that link reading with a lower risk of dementia, emphasizing the long-term health benefits of cultivating a reading habit.

💡Emotional regulation

Emotional regulation refers to the ability to manage one's emotions effectively. The video suggests that reading can help with emotional regulation, potentially explaining why it can reduce stress and anxiety. This concept is used to highlight the psychological benefits of reading.

💡Verbal recall

Verbal recall is the ability to remember and repeat spoken or written information. The script mentions that the temporal lobe, activated during reading, is responsible for verbal recall, suggesting that reading can improve one's ability to remember and use words effectively.

💡Daily Stoic

The Daily Stoic is a book by Ryan Holiday that provides daily wisdom from Stoic philosophy. In the script, the creator uses it as an example of a small, manageable reading task to start their day, illustrating a strategy for building a reading habit.

💡Kindle app

The Kindle app is a software application for accessing and reading eBooks purchased from Amazon's Kindle Store. The video script mentions using the Kindle app to read short daily doses of 'The Daily Stoic,' demonstrating how technology can facilitate the development of a reading habit.

💡Readwise

Readwise is a website mentioned in the script that sends daily email reminders of highlights from the books one has read on Kindle. It serves as a tool to reinforce the knowledge gained from reading and to encourage further reading, aligning with the video's theme of habit formation.

💡Book review

A book review is a description, critical analysis, or evaluation of the content of a book. The creator commits to making monthly book reviews as a way to hold themselves accountable and to share the benefits of the books they read, tying back to the video's focus on the value of reading.

💡Accountability

Accountability refers to the state of being responsible for one's actions and being answerable for those actions to someone or a system. In the script, the creator uses the platform of their channel to maintain accountability for their reading and reviewing habits, emphasizing the importance of commitment in habit formation.

Highlights

The speaker aims to build a reading habit and stick to it.

The video discusses what happens in the brain when reading.

Reading involves processing patterns and shapes, recognizing letters, and understanding words.

The process of reading in an experienced reader takes less than half a second.

Reading 30 pages a night is linked to more left temporal lobe activity and potential benefits like lower dementia risk.

Reading is associated with emotional regulation and stress reduction.

Reading can improve verbal recall and word retrieval.

The speaker uses the Kindle app to read 'The Daily Stoic' in the morning.

Reading a small dose daily helps trick the brain into reading more.

Highlighting parts of books on Kindle and using Read Wise for reminders helps in retaining information.

Read Wise sends daily email reminders of Kindle highlights.

The speaker avoids creative books on Kindle due to the loss of visual experience.

Setting reading times before bed is a habit the speaker is trying to implement.

The speaker finds it challenging to stick to reading times when tired.

The speaker plans to review the best book read each month to keep accountable.

The video encourages viewers to subscribe for more content on training as a doctor and making videos.

Transcripts

so i've told myself i want to read more

and to be honest i do but

netflix is literally calling out to me

so

i'm just going to put it on

[Music]

this happens every time

in this video i'm going to try to work

out how to build a reading habit that i

actually stick to

i'm probably going to nerd out a little

bit about what happens in the brain when

you read

and then i'm going to discuss three ways

that i've been using to encourage myself

to read more

let's go

[Music]

in medical school i've been fascinated

by neurology so i want to know what

happens when we read

is there actually a scientific reason

why it's so good okay so i'm just going

to nerd out a little bit right now

but stick with me

i promise it won't be too boring

but i don't know if i can actually stick

[Music]

when we read

we start by seeing all of the patterns

and shapes on the page

these images are then sent to the back

of the brain where they are processed

just like any other

next it goes to temporal lobe

specifically to an area called the

brain's letterbox

this is where the black squiggles are

then recognized as letters in a word

this information then travels from the

letterbox to the frontal lobe and other

areas of the temporal lobe there we work

out what this word actually means and

how it's pronounced

in an experienced reader this whole

process takes less than half a second

i know what you're thinking why does

this matter jack

well i found a study showing that people

that read 30 pages of a book each night

have more left temporal lobe activity

the next morning memory is found in this

area

so

there's been some studies that link

reading with lower risks of dementia

it's also linked to emotional regulation

so this could potentially explain why a

lot of people find that reading helps to

reduce their stress and anxiety

this area is also responsible for verbal

recall so it might help you to retrieve

your words

retrieve your words a little bit quicker

although these second two points were

only shown to work in the short term so

that means you have to build a habit to

get those benefits

and that's what i've been trying to do

right so i've worked out how it works

i've got a brief understanding of it so

how am i actually going to build this

habit

well i've been reading the daily stoic

by ryan holiday on the kindle app in the

morning it's only a small dose of

reading it's literally two pages takes

less than five minutes

my plan here was to trick my brain into

thinking well i've already read

something today so i might as well read

a little bit more

and it's it's actually been working it's

actually been working i i can justify

later in the day to ignore my social

media

and

just pick up a book and read a few pages

instead

so when i read a book if it was any good

i always feel like inspired to try and

implement what this book has taught me

but then a couple of weeks go by and

i've literally forgotten everything that

it taught me this is where the kindle

comes in so i can highlight parts that

have resonated with me and store them to

refer back to

i tried to summarize them into a notion

page but this was too much extra work

and i ended up not really sticking to it

so instead i've been using this website

called read wise and it'll basically

send you five kindle highlights and just

remind you of your favorite principles

from the books you've read

so this has actually been working really

well over the last few weeks so read

wise has helped me to create a perpetual

cycle where i'll read a book highlight

the best bits and then get daily email

reminders of those bits and that then

encourages me to read more

the only mistake i made on my kindle was

getting creative books you see

if you read a book like this on kindle

you lose literally half the experience

because

it's so visual

the final habit that i've been trying to

implement is to set reading times

so every night before bed i'll read

something and i've told myself it

doesn't have to be for hours it could

just be a few pages but at least read

something

this one's actually been quite hard to

stick to when i'm tired i just i cannot

be bothered so some days i've given

myself a break but most days i've been

sticking to it and it's been working

really well

those are my three habits

start small

make an archive of what you've learned

and actually read it and set reading

times

but this is only the start

i'm also going to use this channel to

help keep me accountable

i'm going to make a book review of the

best book i've read each month

so if you don't see those book reviews

tell me to sort my life out because i

need to make them

if you've enjoyed this video and want to

see more videos of me showing my work

both training as a doctor and making

videos then hit subscribe and i'll see

you next week

[Music]