Studies show that poetry engages the brain's language, memory, and emotion centers—much like music, but with the added spark of meaning-making.

According to the Greater Good Science Center, poetry “can benefit your physical and mental well-being,” helping with emotion regulation, self-reflection, and empathy. One study even found that “as we untangle and construct meaning in one spot while raising questions in another, our higher mental effort actually results in increased feelings of pleasure.”

And it’s no surprise, really. When we read or write poetry, we slow down. We pay attention to the turn of a phrase, to rhythm, to pauses. This kind of attunement activates brain regions associated with memory and self-awareness.

Poetry, in this way, is a kind of breathwork.

It invites a pause. A shift in rhythm.

It brings you back to your body and forward into imagination.

When I wrote "paint sangrante"—a poem based on the reactions of young artists who had fled violence and instability—what emerged was community. We weren’t just documenting pain. We were shaping meaning from it. And in doing so, something settled in the nervous system. A kind of peace.

Research also suggests that creative expression through poetry is a powerful tool for trauma support. In a 2022 study, poetry-based therapy supported healing for unaccompanied Afghan minors—and across multiple studies, poetry activities have been linked to greater self-awareness, healthier coping, and deeper social connection, especially when paired with storytelling.

Poet Laureate Ada Limón captures this intersection of meaning and mindfulness in "Calling Things What They Are," where birdwatching becomes a spiritual practice, a lens for joy, and an invitation to name what’s real.
She writes:

“To think there was a time I thought birds were kind of boring. Brown bird. Gray bird. Black bird… Then, I started to learn their names…”

Poetry, like naming birds, is about presence.

About learning to see.

About calling things what they are.

Whether you read it, write it, or speak it aloud, poetry lives inside the nervous system.

It helps us hold what’s tender. It creates space for breath.

Want to support your nervous system and spark your imagination?

Try reading one poem slowly each morning. Or write one line. Just one.

Notice what opens.

Further Reading

• Palmer, M.B. (2025) “How Poetry Changes You and Your Brain: Emerging research finds that poetry can help us feel happier, healthier, and more connected to each other.” Great Good Magazine.

• Limón, A. (2022)  "Calling Things What They Are" from The Hurting Kind.