April is National Poetry Month! Each year we celebrate the power and passion of poetry. Whether we’re brushing up on classics like Keats and Yeats, tackling modern masters like Louise Glück and Anne Carson, or obsessively re-reading the lyrics to The Tortured Poets Department, the springtime is the right time to lose yourself in voices and verse. Reading (and writing) poetry isn’t just a balm for the spirit: it’s good for your brain.
It Reduces Stress
Research into the calming qualities of poetry has yielded positive results. Many people who read and write poetry see a reduction in stress and anxiety while engaging with poetic work. This kind of engagement in poetry has also shown to be effective at alleviating depression.
It Improves Memory
In addition to serving as a welcome distraction from stress and sadness, spending time with poetry can have a positive impact on memory skills. Reading poetry activates regions in our brain that are associated with processing language, semantic memory, and working memory. These regions get quite a workout thanks to the symbolic nature of poetry; since poems are often written using elusive, figurative language as opposed to direct speech, the brain spends more time unpacking and decoding this language, trying to tease out meaning from abstract verse. All that effort gives your neurons quite the workout, and repeated engagement with the same poem can improve your memory retention.
It Makes You Feel Good
If you’re looking to give yourself a pick-me-up, listen to poetry out loud (either read it out aloud yourself or go to an open mic or reading). Studies show that our physical responses to hearing poetry read aloud are similar to hearing music. That physical response stimulates the rewards-seeking part of the brain, the one that triggers feel-good dopamine rushes.
It Fosters Empathy
One of the more surprising effects of reading and writing poetry is that it can make it easier to empathize with others. Studies have found that people in public-facing roles like nurses who spend a period of time writing and reading poetry report experiencing an improved ability to understand the emotional needs of others. Researchers suspect that this enhanced emotional intelligence could be attributed to the introspection and self-reflection that deep interactions with poetry requires.
How to Get Started
If you’re interested in writing poetry, you don’t have to worry about being a master rhymer. There are numerous poetic forms suitable for all levels of composers. A great starting point is the humble haiku: a three-line poem that consists of one five-syllable line followed by a seven-syllable line and ending with a five-syllable line. While most traditional haikus are associated with nature, you can write a haiku about anything. Cinquains and limericks are also fairly simple forms to pick up and play with. Don’t worry about writing something soul-stirring and timeless right out the gate: the important thing is to just write something, anything. It can be funny or flirty or goofy or mundane. Think of a poetic form like a crossword puzzle or Sudoku- it’s something to solve.
The next time you find yourself with some time to kill, put down your phone, pick up a pen, and see if you can knock out a haiku in a few minutes. Making a habit of that little bit of effort, stretched out over the course of months, could do wonders for your brain.
Article by Austin Brietta
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