Dubai:Have you challenged yourself recently to learn something new? Do you read often?  According to research, challenging the brain by learning new skills as well as reading are activities that enhance brain health.

“Just like exercise, learning new skills as well as regular reading are both good for your brain,” said Prof. Janusz Antoni Jankowski.

He is a doctor, educationalist and scientist.  He is currently the dean of College of Medicine at United Arab Emirates University, in Al Ain, UAE.

He was speaking at a webinar organized by the DHA to celebrate Book Reading Month, which takes place in the UAE in March every year.

The webinar was held under the title “The Role of Reading to Serve the Scientific Research and Scholars for the future”.

The webinar was moderated by Dr Wafa Al Nakhi, researcher at DHA’s Data Analysis Research and Studies Department and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Science.

Prof. Jankowski said: “Once you become good at your work and create a niche for yourself, it is important to challenge yourself and learn new skills. Learning new skills, challenging yourself and getting out of your comfort zone helps improve brain health. Reading is a lifelong learning process and a growing body of research indicates that reading changes your mind, for the better.”

A study known as Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Novel on Connectivity in the Brain, that was conducted in 2013 found that reading increased brain connectivity, especially in the somatosensory cortex, the part of the brain that responds to physical sensations like movement and pain. Researchers used functional MRI scans to measure the effect of reading a novel on the brain for this study.