Whether you want to enjoy a story or learn something new, there are many benefits of reading that will change your life.

According to a 2019 Survey, individuals ages 15 to 54 read on average 10 minutes or less per day.

When we engage in reading self-selected books we are developing many skills that will help us create a happier life.

10 Benefits of Reading

Reading can take you places, change your mood, and boost your thinking power.

Let’s take a look at the benefits of reading in more detail.

1 – Sharpen Your Mind

The most important benefit of reading is to keep your mind active.

The same way as physical exercise stimulates your cardiovascular system, reading will boost your memory and keep your brain sharp.

On the other hand, listening to an audiobook or watching a movie are less demanding to the brain than reading a book.

In addition, when your eyes focus on the printed words, your mind has more time to think and process the information.

For example, you may read faster, slower, or pause to better understand what you are reading and thinking.

As a consequence, reading increases your brain’s connectivity.

There are actual changes in the brain, at least for a few days, after reading a book.

While you follow the characters of the story you will learn to think in sequence and cause and effect.

An active mind keeps important parts of the brain working.

Mental stimulation like reading can help keep your mind active especially with age. According to research, reading every day can keep your brain healthier for longer. 

Therefore, it is less likely to suffer from Alzheimer or other degenerative mental illnesses that come with age. 

2 – Calm You Down 

Another benefit of reading is to reduce stress by around 70%. According to a research study, reading 6 minutes can reduce stress levels.

When you read, you focus your mind on what happens to others and your attention is taken away from your problems and into the story.

Moreover, when you read your mind actively engages in the text and it transports you to the world created by the author.

This will help your brain learn from other people experiences and your subconscious mind will continue to work on your own issues.

Next time when you feel stressed, grab your favorite book for 6 minutes and see if it works for you.

A good ritual is reading before going to bed so that your mind knows that it’s time to relax and go to sleep.

Reading a book helps you relax more than listening to music or drinking a hot cup of tea because reading takes your mind away from your daily stressors.

A 2009 study at the University of Sussex. found out that reading can reduce stress by up to 68%.

Reading calms your brain and reduces stress. This will make it easier to drift into sleep effortlessly.

Here are more ideas on How to Deal with Stress – 10 Stress Relief Tips

3 – Increase Emotional Intelligence

When you identify with the characters, stories, or events that the author describes, you experience a type of real-life relationship.

In addition, you may read in detail how others overcame obstacles, struggled to achieve their goals, or managed disappointment. This will motivate you to work on your own goals with determination despite failure or frustration.

Moreover, reading helps us to better understand our own and other people thinking process.

When you read about other people experiences including the thinking process for their actions, it improves the readers ability to put themselves in another person’s shoes.

Just thinking about doing something can activate the neurons associated with the physical act of doing it.

Reading a novel can transport you into the protagonist’s life. This improves your ability to put yourself into someone else’s shoes, which will improve your empathy skills.

Here are some tips on How to be Happy Practicing Empathy.

4 – Learn New Information

When you read you get all the details about other people’s experiences. You get to learn how they solved problems and how they handled difficult experiences. 

We can get a feeling of what it would be like to be a nurse in the middle of a war, roam the world as a hippie, or learn about the life experiences of people we admire.

In addition, learning new information will add more facts and ideas that will help you to better understand the world around you.

5 – Expand Your Vocabulary and Memory

You get immersed in a new world every time you read a book. You will come across new words, phrases, and expression that you regularly don’t use.

This exposure to new vocabulary words used in context will increase your own vocabulary helping you to articulate your thoughts and communicate more effectively

In addition, every time you read, you create new memories that connect to the information you already know. 

While you follow the characters in the stories you compare and contrast them to your own experiences. Later, you memorize new words and ideas encouraging your brain to store more information.

6 – Develop Your Critical Thinking Skills

Reading helps you to develop critical thinking skills because you see how others solved problems similar to the ones you have.

You read how characters make decisions and the consequences of their actions. 

Next time, when you have to solve a problem you may remember how different characters managed similar difficulties. Your mind will make the connection between an event that happened in a story and your current circumstances.

You will remember what worked or what did not work in different books that you read.

Moreover, you will take into consideration how patience, determination, or optimism were helpful to solve a problem.

You will come up with more ideas to make difficult decisions and how to look at issues from different points of view.

Here are more tips on how to make difficult decisions.

7 – Enhance Creativity

When you read, you explore new worlds.

Reading is like going on a ride. We learn about new possibilities and ideas. This stimulates the right side of our brain.

Following characters in their adventures helps to flex the imagination in a similar way to visualization.

Being able to see a specific situation from different points of view helps to see new possibilities, which is a key factor to enhance your creativity.

8 – Boost Your Mood

According to a 2013 survey by Book Trusts, “People who read books regularly are on average more satisfied with life, happier, and more likely to feel the things they do in life are worthwhile.

If you have negative feelings, read a few pages of your favorite book and see how your mood begins to change.

Furthermore, people with depression get the most benefit from reading self help books.  

Schedule some time everyday to get more of these reading benefits.

9 – Improve Your Mental Health

Reading stimulates the brain.

Reading puts our brains into a state similar to meditation and it produces the same health benefits of relaxation and inner calm.

Immersing yourself in a book can be considered as part of your daily self-care routine.

You may be interested in how to be happy practicing meditation.

10 – Increase your Intelligence

Reading stimulates your brain and makes you smarter.

Moreover, it increases your emotional intelligence and allows you to make better decisions because you take into consideration different points of view and not just your own.

In conclusion, reading has many benefits and it’s up to you to make some time every day to keep your mind active, healthy, and happy.

How much time do you spend reading every day? What are your favorite books? Let me know in the comments below.

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