As society progresses with technology old pleasures such as keeping a diary or snuggling up in a blanket with a good book are being lost. But what people do not realize is that losing those old pleasures can have a negative effect in multiple ways. The less a person reads or writes the higher the chances are for a person to be prone to mental health illnesses and stressful situations and not to mention, less intellectuality (Journaling for Mental Health). Similar situations can be seen in the film Freedom Writers directed by Richard LaGravenese,where students of different backgrounds start with lack of motivation to reach for a different lifestyle but with the help of Mrs.Gruwell they learn to respect one another and have more motivation for a different change in lifestyle.
According to numerous research done on the benefits of reading and writing , it has been proven that both can help boost mental health by reducing fear, depression, stress, and anxiety (Journaling for Mental Health). It does so by helping a person cope with stressful situations by distancing the person from the distressing situations and instead engaging them in the fictional world of a book (Colino). Such situation as described can be seen in the film Freedom Writers, when students from room 203 started reading a book in class, related to gang violence. Due to the fact that they were able to relate to the storyline, they were more engaged into the book and in the same case the reading helped them forget about their grueling lives outside of school.
Aside from helping with stressful situations, a study done by the University of Rochester, journaling daily helps to have better mental clarity leading to being able to identify the factors as to what is causing stress and anxiety (Journaling for Mental Health). After a person has identified the causes of stress they have been struggling with, they can then take the necessary steps to reduce it and that foremost leading to a boost in mood (5 Reasons Writing by Hand Is Good for the Brain and for Well-Being).
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Given these points on the mental benefits of reading and writing, there has also been research done on the memory strengthening of the brain and higher IQ levels. Writing by hand strengths the memory by demanding the brain to use motor neurons and its senses (5 Reasons Writing by Hand Is Good for the Brain and for Well-Being). Also, “a research has indicated that paying attention to a reading demands the coordination of multiple intricate cognitive functions”(John). It does so by producing blood flow to different areas of the brain, more specifically the underworked regions of the brain (John).
With a higher blood flow to the brain and the underworked regions of the brain being exercise by reading, it increases a person’s IQ and memory, especially since reading and writing are essentially the brain’s food by keeping it invigorated (27 Benefits of Reading Book for Physical and Mental Health). In Freedom Writers, after Mrs. Gruwell exposes her students to more reading analysis and journaling their grades and test scores extraordinary increase that even the school board is impressed with such results.
Moreover, the benefits of strengthening the brain’s memory by reading and writing is a substantial help but even so there are much more benefits to it. Reading and writing can also help with the reduction rate of disorders, such as dementia and post- trauma stress(John). “A study released in Neurology found that reading and similar activities reduced the rate of cognitive decline in dementia patients”(John). Two hundred and ninety-four dementia patients took part in this research and what was found was a slower rate of decline with patients that read and wrote through the time span of the research (John). In 2014, there was another research carried out and it involved one hundred and forty-nine women (Colino).
“The women engaged in four 20-minute writing session about emotional topics on consecutive days had greater reductions in the severity of theri post traumatic symptoms” (Colino). Again, such similar situation can be analyse in the movie Freedom Writers when Mrs. Gruwell hands out every one of her students a journal, and within that journal the students have a place to express themselves. After the students write on their journals expressing everything they feel there’s a visible change within them, as they are more opened and less aggressive towards Mrs. Gruwell.
Not only were the students more open with Mrs. Gruwell but they were also more open minded to accept each others race (Freedom Writers). In the beginning of the film, the was major segregation between the students, they kept themselves within their own race, but after they were giving the opportunity to share their journals and read books which related to all of them they became accepting of each other (Freedom Writers). Justifications as to why such acceptance happened between them, is because according to research if a person is exposed to a larger variety types of literature the person has a higher chance to become more open-minded(27 Benefits of Reading Book for Physical and Mental Health).
When it comes towards literature there are countless mindset, perspectives, and cultures, so when a reader reads a book with those different types of aspects it affects the reader view point on a topic (27 Benefits of Reading Book for Physical and Mental Health). With much evidence, it is clear that reading and writing are beneficial to a person’s mental health and physical health that even within the movie Freedom Writers it shows the benefits. Without doubt, activities such as reading and writing should not be subordinated nor forgotten but instead such activities should be enforced even more by parents and teachers.
