I remember the first time I read Jane Austin; it was the first of a long list of novels, memoirs and biographies that showed me how to unwind from the woes of this world. For me, like for many others, the combination of duty, desire and destiny that govern our lives seemed to simply fade away and my mind became free to explore its creative potential when it was just me and my latest pick.

With each finished book, I felt an amplification in my mental vigour in one way or another and found myself much more prepared to take on the challenges of the world. So, I recently decided to understand what happens in the brain when a person reads.

Not surprisingly, I found that reading enriches the brain. However, the intricacy and meticulousness with which this improvement occurs was baffling. Research confirms that reading does more than add…