What happens in our brain when we write?

Writing, a matter of talent?
Clear. A novel, a poem, a scientific article, the shopping list ... it does not matter, writing is an everyday act. The process of active writing in our brain neuronal mechanisms, and actually are quite similar to each other, write what we write.

In the area of ​​Broca -located in the frontal lobe- is where the part associated with speech and writing is housed; but in the parietal lobe is the area of ​​Wernicke , which is extremely important at the time of writing, because this is where we interpret words and language. As a curious fact, there are patients that when they have this damaged brain part have spelling or handwriting disorders.

And why the storytellers?
All the peoples of the earth, in their beginnings, have initiated their cultural processes through orality . When we hear stories, other brain areas are activated, in addition to those of Broca and Wernicke; If, for example, what we are told has to do with kicking or running, the motor cortex of our brain lights up, as if it were really "experiencing" the story.

The importance of counting well, of narrating events in a certain way, to "catch" the attention of the listener, has probably arisen from there. Actually, the brain is the one that gets hooked.

Therefore, through this new discovery, we can realize the enormous influence that literature has on human beings, much greater than we could imagine. And, of course, we can understand more clearly the addictive load of some video games.

Literature or shopping list?
Although the processes that are generated in the brain are similar, since it is the same procedure (writing), there are differences between everyday and literary writing.

Setting aside the cultural and taste parameters to judge the literature, in the brain different zones are activated when it is a usual, habitual language or a different language.

When we face everyday life, the words we use do not elicit notable responses, because use wears them out, and then our brain reacts rather muted. It is not the same when we say things in an original way. That is why good literature omits clichés, always trying new ways of expressing the same feelings that overwhelm us since the invention of writing, and before.

For this reason, metaphors are also important : they activate areas of the parietal lobe associated with touch. Curious, is not it?
Writing with devices or by hand, is it the same?
When we write by hand (and apologize to the fans of the kindle , the ipad and any electronic device in which to write), the benefits of writing are further increased: handwriting stimulates an area of ​​the brain called "system of reticular activation ", and this regulates the waking state. In addition, it favors cognitive development in a much more effective way than if we wrote the same in our computer or in any other type of screen.
If we accustom our children to make summaries when they study, and write them by hand, we will be doing them a favor for when they grow up, because their neurons will be busy creating new paths.