Joseph Addison said, "reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." Are you training your mind well enough? Are you reading regularly? When was the last time that you read a book?
Reading a good book is one of the best things that you can ever do. Although everyone agrees that reading helps us to change for a better person and has countless benefits, people are reading less often these days. It is tempting to blame social media, videogames, computers, smartphones for not reading.
If you are an avid reader, congratulations you are in luck but if you don't have the habit of reading regularly then you are missing out on many things.
Here are some of the benefits of reading.
Understand other's perspective
Reading enables you to see the tworld through multiple dimensions. George R.R. Martin, the author of A Game of Thrones, wrote, ‘a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, the man who never reads lives only one.’
As you go through the book it lets you in a different world and you are seeing the world through the eyes of the character. Research has shown that reading books (fiction) helps to improve our social cognition and read other people better whereas, reading non-fiction help to improve the awareness of social issues.
Reduces mental decline
Like any other organ, our brain will age along with the time and as we grow older, our mental functioning starts to decline. Reading helps to slow down the process to some extent.
Reading books is like exercise for your brain. Just like the muscle that grows and becomes stronger with exercise, our brain becomes more alive and active with reading. Reading books also helps up to protect us neural degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, dementia and so on.
Reduces stress and makes us happier
Reading helps to slow down your heart rate and ease muscle tension.
According to the research conducted by the University of Sussex, reading reduces the stress level by more than two thirds and even reading for a short period has been proven a better way for relaxation than other methods such as walking, listening to music, or drinking a cup of coffee. Similarly, the concept of using bibliotherapy to help people suffering from psychological problems is not new.
Expands knowledge
The more we read the more things we know. We all are like novice scientists trying to figure out how the world around us works.
By reading, we get many insights into various aspects of the world.
Also, the investment in knowledge pays you the best interest. With more knowledge, you are more likely to cope up with any challenges that you might encounter in the future.
Reading is contagious
Many parents wish that their children would read more and more so that they can grow as intelligent adults. Studies suggest that reading out loud to kids in their early years will inspire them to become avid readers in the future.
Reading is fun
Reading is often credited as one of the most common hobbies of many people. You can enjoy reading various topics based on your interests. You can lose yourself in a great story, or in topics that you are passionate about. It doesn't matter what genre of books you read, reading is one of the best things to do to escape from the mundane life and stresses of the world.
Adds years to your life
Research conducted by Yale University School of Public Health found a link between reading more books and increased longevity. Experts found that book readers who spend time up to 3.5 hours a week engrossed in a book were 17 percent less likely to die over the 12-year follow-up period, while those who read more than the three hour-mark were 23 percent less likely to die. Wanna live longer? Read more.
Enhancement of cognitive abilities
When we read many parts of the brain that are evolved to carry out functions like cognition, visions, and language are activated.
Studies have found that reading helps to enhance intelligence (both IQ and EI), along with other cognitive abilities like memory, learning, information processing, decision making, problem-solving, critical thinking, and so on. Researchers from the University of California, Berkely also found the direct relationship between reading, and vocabulary growth and cognitive skills among children.
Tip to the reluctant readers
There are many reading genres like poetry, biography, literature, theology, philosophy, self-help books, and so on. Find your taste and start reading. Remember what J.K Rowling said, “if you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.”
Best of Luck!
