Reading and the Brain

I am fascinated by neuroscience.

After reading pretty much everything Daniel Goleman ever wrote (he’s the emotional intelligence guy – next time you lose the plot, blame him – or your amygdala), I discovered a really interesting book on brain plasticity, The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge www.normandoidge.com.

While this book contains some really interesting stuff all the way through, what was of most interest to me was about kids and electronic media in the Appendices. As a parent in a digital age, it really got me thinking…

I have known for a long time that electronic media, such as watching television, affects concentration. It was the line my Mum used years ago, when she wouldn’t let us watch TV before school.

What was more interesting was that it suggested that writing and reading on paper extends memory, while electronic media extends our nervous systems. They use different parts of the brain, and this act of extension alters the actual structure of our brains, especially when repeated regularly over a period of time. Not only that, but the quick cutting and changing inherent within electronic media such as video games or music videos releases dopamine, the same neurotransmitter that is triggered by addictive drugs.

They call it the “Culturally Modified Brain”.

What does this mean? I don’t really know, but it makes me wonder – if we rely more and more on electronic media as a means to communicate, share our stories and teach our children, will they retain as much at school? Will they remember their childhood clearly? What affect might it have on long-term literacy and therefore, intelligence of our society?

Brain scientists… please explain.