by Playfuls Staff |
19th December 2006
British researchers have found reading Shakespeare has a dramatic effect on the human brain, producing positive [more] brain activity.
University of Liverpool scientists say Shakespeare used a linguistic technique known as functional shift that involves, for example, using a noun to serve as a verb.
The researchers found that technique allows the brain to understand what a word means before it understands the function of the word within a sentence. And the process causes a sudden peak in brain activity, forcing the brain to work backwards to understand what Shakespeare was trying to say.
Professor Philip Davis said: "The brain reacts to reading a phrase such as 'he godded me' from the tragedy of Coriolanus, in a similar way to putting a jigsaw puzzle together. If it is easy to see which pieces slot together you become bored of the game, but if the pieces don't appear to fit, when we know they should, the brain becomes excited."
Experts believe the heightened brain activity may be one of the reasons why Shakespeare's plays have such a dramatic impact on their readers.
The study appears in the literary magazine The Reader.
© 2006 UPI
