books

Bella Santulli, NAMI Intern

I live, breathe, and love characters across a vast spectrum of worlds. From letters of passion from the soul by Jane Austen to a character stricken with mad obsession and loyalty to his craft of scents by Patrick Suskind, I find myself in love with knowing the ins and outs of thousands of stories. The words inked on the page shape a movie in my mind and deepen themselves in the grounds of my memory, where I find new perspectives on society and myself, a changed person. Not only do I enjoy reading literary fiction, classics, and horror, among other genres, but I also find the colossal impact on my mental health to be full of benefits: and so does science. 
Studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have demonstrated that reading is a complex task that engages various brain regions. 

• Temporal lobe → which is responsible for phonological awareness and for decoding/ discriminating sounds
• Broca’s area → in the frontal lobe, which governs speech production and language comprehension
• Angular and supramarginal gyrus → links different parts of the brain so that letter shapes can be put together to form words.

By observing changes to blood flow, researchers can see that reading stimulates the brain’s neural pathways. This stimulation enhances brain activity, memory and cognitive function — ultimately boosting your creativity and expanding your capacity to learn. Additionally, I find the benefits to my emotional health & the capacity of my emotions increased from reading. Books can make you feel a scope of emotions, from pure joy, and surprise to fear, anger, or skepticism. Experiencing this variety of emotions helps to build your resilience and ability to face difficult situations & dilemmas. Furthermore, reading can help develop empathy and foster connections with others by learning about diverse experiences/cultures through storytelling. Not only does reading provide immense emotional health benefits there are multiple other mental health advantages as well. 

• Stress relief: Speaking of stress relief, immersing yourself in the captivating world of books can help lower your heart rate and relax your muscles. Books are also a healthy way to help you compartmentalize when you focus on a story instead of a stressful event.
• Cognitive health: Reading enhances your critical thinking skills and creativity. It also broadens your vocabulary, boosts your knowledge and stimulates your imagination.
• Entertainment: There are many options for entertainment especially with digital devices and streaming services making shows, movies, music and podcasts more accessible now than ever before. Some of you may not consider books a form of entertainment, but they certainly can be. Books can make us laugh, cry, and create intrigue and excitement. Being entertained also has positive health benefits, including the release of endorphins in the brain. These feel-good hormones help you relax, manage pain, and relieve stress.
• Social Engagement: Engaging with the world of books can enrich your social life. Staying social has significant benefits, including preventing isolation, which is a risk factor for depression and dementia.

Not only are there mental health benefits, but physical as well. Studies show that reading can help relax the body by lowering heart rate and easing muscle tension, with a reduction in stress of up to 68% in people who silently read a literary work for just six minutes. This results in an overall lower blood pressure and improved sleep quality. Similarly, researchers have found that, compared to using social media, reading helps improve concentration by increasing the capacity for longer attention spans. This can be particularly helpful for those who struggle with concentration or identify as neurodivergent. 

Especially with the rise of A.I. (Artificial Intelligence), it is critical to centralize physical media in our lives. A new study from MIT is raising concerns about how A.I. affects learning and how convenience may come at a cost to your brain. This study examined essay writing across three groups: individuals using AI, a search engine, or their own brainpower. The last group, with no tools at all, showed the most potent brain activity and better memory recall. They were followed by search engine users, and in last place, people relying on AI, who displayed a decline in neural connectivity, which can eventually lead to brain atrophy. Although the purpose of technology is to make our lives easier, is this worth the cost of our originality? Our humanity? The very essence of what makes us human, stripped away, to teach AI to think for us, not to think for ourselves. We attempt to teach AI the elements of our souls – something no machine can build or recreate in pursuit of less work, but how much less work do we need? In my active goal of prioritizing physical media in a digital era, these are recommendations that contribute to my overall well-being: 

• Swap scrolling through your phone for reading just once a day.
• Develop a routine, such as reading before bedtime or listening to your favorite band while reading.
• Select books on topics you’re curious about and have developed an interest in (Comics/Manga counts:))
• Research what people you admire read to connect with them through books, whether a celebrity, colleague, parent, or best friend.
• Join a book club, either in person or online/Create a book swap with family and friends.
• Participate in groups on social media with fellow bookworms or enthusiasts of specific book genres.
• Opt in for “suggested reading” lists, such as through your e-reader or social media.
• Check out your local library — frequenting a library can also give you a sense of community. (It is also an option for those not interested in economically contributing)

It is not just a hobby; it is a form of care. Through the written word, we heal, grow, and awaken parts of our humanity that no algorithm can replicate. So turn the page, and in doing so, turn inward. Your mind, body, and soul deserve that moment of peace.

Book of the Week: Perfume by Patrick Süskind

Patrick Suskind’s classic novel provokes a terrifying examination of what happens when one man’s indulgence in his greatest passion-his sense of smell-leads to murder. In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift–an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille’s genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and fresh-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the “ultimate perfume”-the scent of a beautiful young virgin. Told with dazzling narrative brilliance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.

A Verse in Motion: 

[The Harmatia of Jean-Baptiste] 

A spritz of beauty and innocence– 

A love I’ve never felt in my days. 

Something I have wanted to achieve

since birth, finally within my grasp.

And I am left with a sensation of nothing. 

For I did not know yet–

The curse of achieving my life’s work

brings an unredeemable burden.

A void of loneliness and despair; 

Seeping through the marrow of my bones.

A dark hole clogs my olfactory senses– 

For smell is a gateway to the soul, and I 

have manipulated those to believe I 

venture the steps above when really 

I will burn beneath the weight of beauty’s deceit. 

A simple perfume distilled from virgin skins

bathed Paris in its light–

But the essence of purity is a poison we all inhale.

How beauty and innocence have corrupted our hearts 

to beat in sync with the sins we attempt to hide. 

Bella Santulli

Resources

• NAMI Mercer Helpline Phone Number: 609-799-8994 x17
• NAMI Mercer Helpline Email: helpline@namimercer.org

References 

• Wright, Paul. “Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Reading Books.” Www.nuvancehealth.org, Nuvance Health, 8 Aug. 2023, www.nuvancehealth.org/health-tips-and-news/physical-and-mental-health-benefits-of-reading-books.
• Edwards, Scott. “Reading and the Brain.” Harvard Medical School, 2016, hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/reading-brain.
• Nataliya Kos’myna. “CNN: AI’s Effects on the Brain – MIT Media Lab.” MIT Media Lab, 2025, www.media.mit.edu/articles/a-i-s-effects-on-the-brain/.