Why poetry matters

Poetry creates nothing, but it might help us break down lazy thinking. More on how nonsense helps sharpen brain function, or why poetry must be more than a confession:

When those patterns break down — as when a hiker stumbles across an easy chair sitting deep in the woods, as if dropped from the sky — the brain gropes for something, anything that makes sense. It may retreat to a familiar ritual, like checking equipment. But it may also turn its attention outward, the researchers argue, and notice, say, a pattern in animal tracks that was previously hidden. The urge to find a coherent pattern makes it more likely that the brain will find one.

Oh and yes, you just might be born anxious or perhaps even, a poet.