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Time of India
a day ago
- General
- Time of India
What happens to your brain when you read a poem? Science has an answer
Credit: Canva W e live in an age of doomscrolling, where content has become synonymous with 'reels.' Thanks to relentless swiping, our attention span flickers like candlelight in a windstorm. Amid this digital deluge, the humble poem stands oddly still, unrushed, unapologetically deep. Yet behind its delicate metaphors and winding verses lies a neurological tempest. Poetry, as it turns out, doesn't merely touch the soul; it tunes the mind. A growing body of research in psychology and neuroscience suggests that reading poetry can sharpen cognition, ignite flexible thinking, and gently coax the mind out of its mental cul-de-sacs. The poetry-cognition nexus At Goldsmiths University, a recent study published in the Creativity Research Journal has added empirical weight to what poets have long intuited. Led by PhD student Soma Chaudhuri and Professor Joydeep Bhattacharya, the study tested whether reading a single poem, Rudyard Kipling's If, a century-old meditation on character and resilience, could impact creative cognition. Participants were divided into groups and asked to read the poem, rate it, or engage with a non-poetic text of similar length. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo The result? A surge in associative creativity, that elusive ability to connect seemingly unrelated ideas. Like ivy tracing brick walls, thoughts found unexpected paths to follow. The gentle power of wandering Yes, we all have heard that building castles in the air will do no good, or it is not good to count chickens before they hatch. But, what if we say, these built castles can pave the way for your high intellect. One of the study's most striking insights was this: Those who allowed their minds to drift during poetry reading experienced the greatest benefit. What we often dismiss as daydreaming, the study suggests, may be a secret key to cognitive flexibility. Here, the poem becomes a kind of invitation. Not all who wander are lost. Guiding us not toward solutions, but to the fertile grounds where they grow. Your brain on verse Meanwhile, at Bangor University, another study added a neuroscientific twist. Welsh-speaking participants were read sentences crafted in the intricate poetic form of Cynghanedd. Though unfamiliar with the structure, they instinctively responded to it. EEG scans revealed bursts of neural activity, tiny fireworks in the brain triggered by poetic cadence. There is a rhythm the body remembers even when the mind does not. Where thought meets feeling The University of Exeter added a further dimension. Researchers there scanned participants' brains while they read texts ranging from technical prose to lyrical verse. Emotional passages lit up the right brain, where we feel music and memory. Complex lines activated the left, where we solve puzzles and decode meaning. And when subjects read their favourite poems, something rare occurred: Regions associated with recognition, not just reading, lit up. The lines weren't processed, they were recalled. The brain treated them like personal truths, not borrowed words. Some lines don't pass through the eyes. They take root in the chest. A cognitive tool in disguise Another study at the University of Liverpool introduced what they called the 'a-ha moment,' those poetic twists that prompt reevaluation of a line's meaning. Think Wordsworth's solitary maiden, or a sudden revelation in a Frost poem. These moments lit up parts of the brain linked to non-automatic processing, nudging the reader out of habitual thought patterns. Here, the poem acts not as an answer, but as a mirror turned slightly askew. Suddenly, the familiar becomes strange again. It's this disruption that makes poetry cognitively powerful. Where prose tells, poetry suggests. Where speech fills, poetry leaves space. Applications beyond the page The implications are both poetic and practical. Professor Bhattacharya suggests poetry be used in schools, not just as art, but as cognitive training, particularly in subjects requiring conceptual leaps. Even in the workplace, he believes, poetry could replace coffee-fueled scrolling during breaks to rejuvenate lateral thinking. In a time when distraction reigns and attention is currency, poetry demands depth, patience, and presence. And in doing so, it exercises muscles we didn't know were atrophying. The final stanza Emily Dickinson once wrote of the mind being wider than the sky. Neuroscience is only now beginning to catch up to that metaphysical truth. Poetry, long relegated to the edges of utility, may be one of the most quietly transformative tools we possess. So, when the day dulls and your thoughts clutter like too many tabs on a screen, try reaching not for noise, but for nuance. For rhythm. For resonance. Because somewhere between metaphor and mind-wandering, poetry might just be the scaffolding on which new thinking is built. Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
STV News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- STV News
Trinny Woodall: There was nothing I could have done about ex-husband's suicide
What Not To Wear star Trinny Woodall has said there was 'nothing I could have done' about her ex-husband Johnny Elichaoff's suicide. On Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast, the 61-year-old reflected on the former drummer and businessman's death in 2014, and praised the work of charities looking into mental health and suicide. Asked about her regrets by Cotton, Woodall said: 'I think going back to earlier, it's that would've, should've, could've – so do I regret that I didn't do more for my ex-husband to stop him killing himself? No, because it was nothing I could have done. 'So to ponder on the regret of somebody who kills himself, it can take you into the darkest hole, but you can also know when somebody who is in that situation switches off, and that is their path and nobody can get in. 'I had to learn.' Woodall said there are 'fabulous charities' working in the area of mental health and suicide – which she said is the biggest cause of death in men under 50. She went on to speak about how she guided daughter Lyla, who was 11 at the time, through Elichaoff's death. She explained: 'When I heard about Lyla's dad, Lyla was at school and my first challenge was how can I even tell her, how can I say the words to tell her. 'My sister was a friend of a woman called Julia Samuel, who wrote an amazing book, Grief Works, and she's fantastic. 'Julia came around to our house and I just said, 'I need some words', and so she said, 'you're going to tell her he had a heart attack in his head'. 'We told her (Lyla) and she screamed really loudly and it was like an animal scream, and then 20 minutes later she's downstairs getting a snack, so children's absorption of what has happened is that there's that gut, she really loved her dad. 'This thing is just, she can't quite understand it, but she knows that he's not coming back in some daily way and then we had a cremation so then there's a real awareness. 'There's a lot of people saying, 'I'm so sorry about your dad, Lyla', so she's manic a little, she was running around with her friends and then there was a memorial only 10 days after that, and there were 1,200 people in the church. 'Lyla got up and read If, but she didn't read it, she said it with nothing and didn't cry and it wasn't that she was being strong.' The beauty entrepreneur was also asked if she regrets taking drugs for a decade. She added: 'I actually don't, because it gave me such a depth of having to deal with life at an early age, some testing things that it rounded me up more as a person. 'When I got into my 30s, I had a lot of experience to draw on to be resilient, so thereby I don't regret that it happened and I should draw upon it.' Best known for hosting BBC fashion show What Not To Wear with Susannah Constantine, Woodall is also the founder of cosmetics brand Trinny London. The full interview can be heard on the Happy Place podcast available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify. Help and support is available now if you need it. The Samaritans can be contacted any time, from any phone, free on 116 123, email at jo@ , or visit to find your nearest branch. Details of other services and more information can be found on the NHS website here . Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Trinny Woodall discusses husband's passing
What Not To Wear star Trinny Woodall has said there was "nothing I could have done" about her ex-husband Johnny Elichaoff's taking his own life.. On Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast, the 61-year-old reflected on the former drummer and businessman's death in 2014, and praised the work of charities looking into mental health and suicide. Asked about her regrets by Cotton, Woodall said: "I think going back to earlier, it's that would've, should've, could've – so do I regret that I didn't do more for my ex-husband to stop him killing himself? No, because it was nothing I could have done. "So to ponder on the regret of somebody who kills himself, it can take you into the darkest hole, but you can also know when somebody who is in that situation switches off, and that is their path and nobody can get in. "I had to learn." The make-up mogul said there are "fabulous charities" working in the area of mental health and suicide – which she said is the biggest cause of death in men under 50. She went on to speak about how she guided daughter Lyla, who was 11 at the time, through Elichaoff's death. She explained: "When I heard about Lyla's dad, Lyla was at school and my first challenge was how can I even tell her, how can I say the words to tell her. "My sister was a friend of a woman called Julia Samuel, who wrote an amazing book, Grief Works, and she's fantastic. "Julia came around to our house and I just said, 'I need some words', and so she said, 'you're going to tell her he had a heart attack in his head'."We told her (Lyla) and she screamed really loudly and it was like an animal scream, and then 20 minutes later she's downstairs getting a snack, so children's absorption of what has happened is that there's that gut, she really loved her dad. "This thing is just, she can't quite understand it, but she knows that he's not coming back in some daily way and then we had a cremation so then there's a real awareness. "There's a lot of people saying, 'I'm so sorry about your dad, Lyla', so she's manic a little, she was running around with her friends and then there was a memorial only 10 days after that, and there were 1,200 people in the church. "Lyla got up and read If, but she didn't read it, she said it with nothing and didn't cry and it wasn't that she was being strong." The beauty entrepreneur was also asked if she regrets taking drugs for a decade. She added: "I actually don't, because it gave me such a depth of having to deal with life at an early age, some testing things that it rounded me up more as a person. "When I got into my 30s, I had a lot of experience to draw on to be resilient, so thereby I don't regret that it happened and I should draw upon it." Best known for hosting BBC fashion show What Not To Wear with Susannah Constantine, Woodall is also the founder of cosmetics brand Trinny London.
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Trinny Woodall: There was nothing I could have done about ex-husband's suicide
What Not To Wear star Trinny Woodall has said there was 'nothing I could have done' about her ex-husband Johnny Elichaoff's suicide. On Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast, the 61-year-old reflected on the former drummer and businessman's death in 2014, and praised the work of charities looking into mental health and suicide. Asked about her regrets by Cotton, Woodall said: 'I think going back to earlier, it's that would've, should've, could've – so do I regret that I didn't do more for my ex-husband to stop him killing himself? No, because it was nothing I could have done. 'So to ponder on the regret of somebody who kills himself, it can take you into the darkest hole, but you can also know when somebody who is in that situation switches off, and that is their path and nobody can get in. 'I had to learn.' Woodall said there are 'fabulous charities' working in the area of mental health and suicide – which she said is the biggest cause of death in men under 50. She went on to speak about how she guided daughter Lyla, who was 11 at the time, through Elichaoff's death. She explained: 'When I heard about Lyla's dad, Lyla was at school and my first challenge was how can I even tell her, how can I say the words to tell her. 'My sister was a friend of a woman called Julia Samuel, who wrote an amazing book, Grief Works, and she's fantastic. Woodall recalled having to break the news to her daughter (Ian West/PA) 'Julia came around to our house and I just said, 'I need some words', and so she said, 'you're going to tell her he had a heart attack in his head'. 'We told her (Lyla) and she screamed really loudly and it was like an animal scream, and then 20 minutes later she's downstairs getting a snack, so children's absorption of what has happened is that there's that gut, she really loved her dad. 'This thing is just, she can't quite understand it, but she knows that he's not coming back in some daily way and then we had a cremation so then there's a real awareness. 'There's a lot of people saying, 'I'm so sorry about your dad, Lyla', so she's manic a little, she was running around with her friends and then there was a memorial only 10 days after that, and there were 1,200 people in the church. 'Lyla got up and read If, but she didn't read it, she said it with nothing and didn't cry and it wasn't that she was being strong.' The beauty entrepreneur was also asked if she regrets taking drugs for a decade. She added: 'I actually don't, because it gave me such a depth of having to deal with life at an early age, some testing things that it rounded me up more as a person. 'When I got into my 30s, I had a lot of experience to draw on to be resilient, so thereby I don't regret that it happened and I should draw upon it.' Best known for hosting BBC fashion show What Not To Wear with Susannah Constantine, Woodall is also the founder of cosmetics brand Trinny London. The full interview can be heard on the Happy Place podcast available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify. - If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services.
South Wales Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Trinny Woodall: There was nothing I could have done about ex-husband's suicide
On Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast, the 61-year-old reflected on the former drummer and businessman's death in 2014, and praised the work of charities looking into mental health and suicide. Asked about her regrets by Cotton, Woodall said: 'I think going back to earlier, it's that would've, should've, could've – so do I regret that I didn't do more for my ex-husband to stop him killing himself? No, because it was nothing I could have done. 'So to ponder on the regret of somebody who kills himself, it can take you into the darkest hole, but you can also know when somebody who is in that situation switches off, and that is their path and nobody can get in. 'I had to learn.' Woodall said there are 'fabulous charities' working in the area of mental health and suicide – which she said is the biggest cause of death in men under 50. She went on to speak about how she guided daughter Lyla, who was 11 at the time, through Elichaoff's death. She explained: 'When I heard about Lyla's dad, Lyla was at school and my first challenge was how can I even tell her, how can I say the words to tell her. 'My sister was a friend of a woman called Julia Samuel, who wrote an amazing book, Grief Works, and she's fantastic. 'Julia came around to our house and I just said, 'I need some words', and so she said, 'you're going to tell her he had a heart attack in his head'.'We told her (Lyla) and she screamed really loudly and it was like an animal scream, and then 20 minutes later she's downstairs getting a snack, so children's absorption of what has happened is that there's that gut, she really loved her dad. 'This thing is just, she can't quite understand it, but she knows that he's not coming back in some daily way and then we had a cremation so then there's a real awareness. 'There's a lot of people saying, 'I'm so sorry about your dad, Lyla', so she's manic a little, she was running around with her friends and then there was a memorial only 10 days after that, and there were 1,200 people in the church. 'Lyla got up and read If, but she didn't read it, she said it with nothing and didn't cry and it wasn't that she was being strong.' The beauty entrepreneur was also asked if she regrets taking drugs for a decade. She added: 'I actually don't, because it gave me such a depth of having to deal with life at an early age, some testing things that it rounded me up more as a person. 'When I got into my 30s, I had a lot of experience to draw on to be resilient, so thereby I don't regret that it happened and I should draw upon it.' Best known for hosting BBC fashion show What Not To Wear with Susannah Constantine, Woodall is also the founder of cosmetics brand Trinny London. The full interview can be heard on the Happy Place podcast available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted for free at 116 123, or on email at jo@ or jo@
