10 Benefits of Reading:
Why You Should Read Every Day
When was the last time you read a book, or a substantial
magazine article? Do your daily reading habits center around tweets, Facebook
updates, or the directions on your instant oatmeal packet? If you’re one of
countless people who don’t make a habit of reading regularly, you might be
missing out: reading has a significant number of benefits, and just a few
benefits of reading are listed below.
1. Mental
Stimulation
Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow
the progress of (or possibly even prevent)
Alzheimer’s and Dementia, since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents
it from losing power. Just like any other muscle in the body, the brain
requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy, so the phrase “use it or lose it”
is particularly apt when it comes to your mind. Doing
puzzles and playing games such as chess
have also been found to be helpful with cognitive stimulation.
2. Stress
Reduction
No matter how much stress you have at work, in your personal relationships, or countless other
issues faced in daily life, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a
great story. A well-written novel can transport you to other realms, while an
engaging article will distract you and keep you in the present moment, letting
tensions drain away and allowing you to relax.
3. Knowledge
Everything you read fills your head with new bits of
information, and you never know when it might come in handy. The more knowledge
you have, the better-equipped you are to tackle any challenge you’ll ever face.
Additionally, here’s a bit of food for thought: should you ever
find yourself in dire circumstances, remember that although you might lose
everything else—your job, your possessions, your money, even your
health—knowledge can never be taken from you.
4. Vocabulary
Expansion
This goes with the above topic: the more you read, the more
words you gain exposure to, and they’ll inevitably make their way into your
everyday vocabulary. Being articulate and well-spoken is of great help in
any profession, and knowing that you can speak to higher-ups with
self-confidence can be an enormous boost to your self-esteem. It could even aid
in your career, as those who are well-read, well-spoken, and knowledgeable on a
variety of topics tend to get promotions more quickly (and more often) than
those with smaller vocabularies and lack of awareness of literature, scientific
breakthroughs, and global events.
Reading books is also vital for learning new languages, as non-native speakers gain exposure to words used in context,
which will ameliorate their own speaking and writing fluency.
5. Memory
Improvement
When you read a book, you have to remember an assortment of
characters, their backgrounds, ambitions, history, and nuances, as well as the
various arcs and sub-plots that weave their way through every story. That’s a
fair bit to remember, but brains are marvellous things and can
remember these things with relative ease. Amazingly enough, every
new memory you create forges new synapses (brain pathways)and strengthens existing ones, which assists in short-term memory recall as well as stabilizing moods. How cool is that?
6. Stronger
Analytical Thinking Skills
Have you ever read an amazing mystery novel, and solved the
mystery yourself before finishing the book? If so, you were able to put
critical and analytical thinking to work by taking note of all the details
provided and sorting them out to determine “whodunnit”.
That same ability to analyze details also comes in handy when it
comes to critiquing the plot; determining whether it was a well-written piece,
if the characters were properly developed, if the storyline ran smoothly, etc.
Should you ever have an opportunity to discuss the book with others, you’ll be
able to state your opinions clearly, as you’ve taken the time to really
consider all the aspects involved.
7. Improved
Focus and Concentration
In our internet-crazed world, attention is drawn in a million
different directions at once as we multi-task through every day. In a single
5-minute span, the average person will divide their time between working on a
task, checking email, chatting with a couple of people (via gchat, skype,
etc.), keeping an eye on twitter, monitoring their smartphone, and interacting
with co-workers. This type of ADD-like behaviour causes stress
levels to rise, and lowers our productivity.
When you read a book, all of your attention is focused on the
story—the rest of the world just falls away, and you can immerse yourself in
every fine detail you’re absorbing. Try reading for 15-20 minutes before work
(i.e. on your morning commute, if you take public transit), and you’ll be
surprised at how much more focused you are once you get to the office.
8. Better
Writing Skills
This goes hand-in-hand with the expansion of your vocabulary:
exposure to published, well-written work has a noted effect on one’s own
writing, as observing the cadence, fluidity, and writing styles of other
authors will invariably influence your own work. In the same way that musicians
influence one another, and painters use techniques established by previous
masters, so do writers learn how to craft prose by reading the works of others.
9. Tranquility
In addition to the relaxation that accompanies reading a good
book, it’s possible that the subject you read about can bring about immense
inner peace and tranquility. Reading spiritual texts can lower blood pressure
and bring about an immense sense of calm,
while reading
self-help books has been shown to help people suffering from
certain mood disorders and mild mental illnesses.
10. Free Entertainment
Though many of us like to buy books so we can
annotate them and dog-ear pages for future reference, they can be quite pricey.
For low-budget entertainment, you can visit your local library and bask in the glory of the countless tomes available there for
free. Libraries have books on every subject imaginable, and since they rotate
their stock and constantly get new books, you’ll never run out of reading
materials.
If you happen to live in an area that doesn’t have a local
library, or if you’re mobility-impaired and can’t get to one easily, most
libraries have their books available in PDF or ePub format so
you can read them on your e-reader, iPad, or your computer screen. There are
also many sources online where you can download free e-books, so go
hunting for something new to read!
There’s a reading genre for every literate person on the planet,
and whether your tastes lie in classical literature, poetry, fashion magazines,
biographies, religious texts, young adult books, self-help guides, street lit,
or romance novels, there’s something out there to capture your curiosity and
imagination. Step away from your computer for a little while, crack open a
book, and replenish your soul for a little while.
Lana Winter-Hébert
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-reading-why-you-should-read-everyday.html?ref=mail&mtype=daily_newsletter_v2&mid=20180201&uid=687414&hash=707e797f7e757e6d794c856d747b7b3a6f7b79&utm_source=daily_newsletter_v2&utm_medium=email&action=click&user_type=member&sub_time=841
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