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Top Benefits of Reading for All Ages
You may be wondering what’s the point of picking up a novel as an adult or if there are actually any benefits of reading books every day.
Is reading just entertainment or are there more benefits? In case you want to skip to the good part, then YES! Reading has a variety of benefits including mental and physical, all backed by science.
10 Benefits of Reading Books
1️⃣ You improve your vocabulary
This may seem like an obvious benefit but it’s worth mentioning. Reading opens up worlds of opportunity and can help expand your vocabulary outside of the words that you hear every day.
This can help you create more meaning and context behind words. Which in turn improves your communication skills.
2️⃣ Reading makes you happy
You know that reading makes you happier if you have ever gotten lost in a good book. Nothing can boost serotonin like when a fictional character overcomes a tragedy or wins the girl.
Just like a fictional book can help you forget your worries, a self-help book can help you manage those worries as well, which is a huge benefit of reading!
3️⃣ Reading exercises our brains
Reading can help improve our brain function because it uses different areas at the same time. We are using our alphabetic principle, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension all at once!
This can help prevent cognitive decline as we age, improves our brain connectivity, and even fight depression symptoms!
Reading is a powerful tool that we should be exercising daily to improve our quality of life.
4️⃣ Reading improves concentration and memory
If you ever struggled with concentration then you can know how hard it can be to sit down and completely focus on something. Reading may be something that can help you!
When you start to build on the habit of reading you are more able to shut out the outside world. This helps greatly improve your focus when doing other tasks.
Reading also improves your memory by creating new connections in the brain. New neurons are built every time you pick up a book, creating changes in the bilateral somatosensory cortex, which helps with sensory and language processing.
This benefit of reading alone should make you start picking up books every day!
5️⃣ Reading teaches about the world around them
Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world
Napoleon Bonaparte
Reading is so powerful that they actually ban books! It sparks ideas, rebellions, romance, and helps you gain knowledge about anything you could want to know about.
The benefit of reading books is that they can truly teach you about the world around you and create lasting change.
Knowledge is power, and a big benefit of reading every day is attaining more intelligence.
6️⃣ Reading develops imagination and creativity
The places you travel to when you read are amazing and breathtaking. They can strike fear in your heart, make you cry, or scream in excitement all from words on a page.
When you read, you open a door to building your imagination and creativity, which we often don’t get to have daily as adults.
Creativity helps us connect to yourselves and others, and breakdown old ways of thinking.
7️⃣ Reading helps develop empathy
Reading about different characters and seeing their inner thoughts helps us develop more empathy in our day-to-day life. Studies have shown that readers are more likely to be inclusive, open-minded, and more tolerant of others.
When you feel an emotional connection to a character, this can reflect in different situations that we come across as adults.
An example is when we read of Harry Potter or Neville Longbottom being bullied, we start to build empathy for their situation, and we will be less inclined to bully others.
This is oversimplified but I really do see this level of empathy in the book community. Bookstagram and readers are one of the most inclusive groups of people I have come across.
8️⃣ Reading is a great form of entertainment
A benefit of reading can be simply that it is a great form of entertainment! Grabbing a book at your local library and taking time to read, in my opinion, is way better than scrolling on social media.
Most readers would agree, that it is one of the best ways to be entertained after a long day of work.
9️⃣ Reading relaxes the body and calms the mind
When you read a book, both your heart rate and muscle tension go down! This can help you relax completely and calm your mind.
When I am reading a book, I am often not even aware of my surroundings. I am completely swept up into a new world and far way from any of my problems.
I know that when I am stressed the first thing I want to do is read a good book. Next time you are stressed, try picking up a new book and see if it helps.
🔟 Improves analytical skills
If you have ever read a fantasy book, like Crescent City by Sarah J Maas or any other book with a plot line. Then you have spent time improving your analytical skills.
Specifically reading fictional books makes your brain organize information. You may not think about it when you are reading, but in the background, you are organizing the timeline of the book in your head and trying to guess what’s going to happen next.
Your brain is actually visualizing and organizing all this information to help you understand the book.
Amazing Benefits from Reading
As you can see, there are some life-changing benefits of reading every day. You will see a boost in your brain connections, empathy, imagination, and so much more!
I encourage you to start reading every day and notice the benefits build up.
Comment below and let me know if you have any other benefits of reading. 👇
This is such a great and comprehensive list of the benefits of reading. I am a huge advocate of reading. I always have a good book in reach. Thank you for sharing!
Yes, thank you! Reading is amazing. 😊