Reading has been directly associated with intelligence. Right from the foundation years, children are encouraged to read. Books have been called a crest of information, ideas, stories, thoughts and feelings. They have been a timeless form of entertainment and knowledge. This one of the reasons why, amid all the interesting kinds of visual entertainment options, reading has survived for ages and so has its tremendous benefits! Here are 7 reasons why reading is important.
1. Reading Sharpens your Focus
When you read, the words in black and white capture your focus. It helps you to develop concentration. Reading requires you to transfix your mind in order to understand the story-line. This actually improves your overall focus and ability to think critically. No matter how important multi-tasking is, it tends to induce stress and lower productivity. However, reading trains your mind to be attentive and dedicated. This is the reason why the world fades away when you immerse yourself in reading.
2. Improves your vocabulary
The more you read, the more you learn. When you gain exposure to new words, your mind retains them and they make way to your everyday language. There have been studies showing that children who begin to read voraciously develop a larger and impressive vocabulary. Being articulate gives you more confidence. This makes it easier for you to strike good conversations and crack interviews with powerful personality. A 2019 poll conducted by Cengage says that 69% employers emphasised on hiring people with good communication skills.
3. Lowers your stress
Practically saying, books are a doorway to virtual world. This transition helps your mind to take a break from the reality. This greatly improves your mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, blood pressure, heart rate and even pain. It actually freshens up mood and kills tension. Studies suggest that 30 minutes of reading eliminates psychological distress in people as effectively as yoga or humour did. In fact, this virtual escape makes people get fresh perspective on their real life issues when they are back on solving problems. Also, reading fiction has therapeutically helped people with depression.
4. Improves Memory
When you read with an undivided attention, your brain is doing more than just deciphering words. This activity is much more neuro-biologically demanding with vision, language, imagination and learning going on together. That’s why it’s likely that you remember the words you have read for long. It has also been linked with the ability to maintain late-life capabilities. Focused reading keeps the level of beta-amyloids low for sharper cognitive capabilities. With good physical health, you indirectly get to enjoy a longer lifespan.
5. Strengthens your Writing Abilities
Reading sparks imagination. This feeds the brain with new ideas that leads to the birth of creativity and new thoughts. Vocabulary helps to package the brain thoughts into words with the most accurate meaning and fiction helps to frame sentence and dialog. Thus, a good reader can naturally become a great writer. Reading helps one to learn and improve communication. It ultimately aids to the connection between thoughts and words.
6. Enhances your Sleep
When you create a bedtime reading ritual, you actually signal your mind to wind up and relax. Reduced stress and calmness allows you to retire quickly and promote deep sleep. This helps your body to repair itself and freshen up before another hectic working day. Good sleepers are always better performers. However, it is advised to limit your screen time before bed. This is because the e-readers and mobile phones make you sleep deprived and tire your eyes. It’s better to go for literal page-turners for positive effects.
7. Free Entertainment
No expensive subscriptions, no swanky devices, no internet bills yet so entertaining! You can get to your nearest library to get books or even exchange books with other people for fresh content. If don’t have any such arrangement, you can opt for free PDF or e-pub books available on websites and read books online on your e-reader, mobile phone or even on computer. There are so many sources online were you can select from a wide array of genres and unwind a whole new world of free entertainment.
In the nutshell, reading is extremely beneficial for both your physical and mental health. Plus, the best thing is that these benefits actually stay with you throughout your lifetime. It doesn’t just improve your language, but knowledge and overall personality too!So, what are you waiting for? Stop scrolling, start book reading!
