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.