Have your ever thought of what sort of life you’d have to be living if you were unable to read? Taking into account the fact that a lot of what we have in societies is to be read.
Think of medication, and the reading that has to go in in order not to mess your life with it. Think of recipes. Think of social media both entertainment and news. Think of magazines. To just get to know a lot about life involves a lot of reading. There’s no denying that.
But, does it strike you as strange that a great majority of people don’t seem to value reading? It appears in living colors that for many people reading is drudgery. Some of those who do read do it only for a short-term purpose.
For example, they read in preparing for the upcoming interview. And even in that, they read only for a few hours. Students read just to get past the tests and exams. Then again, we have some folks who read like their lives depended on it. They’re bookworms. All they do and think about is getting another new book on Amazon.
The question is, why do they do it? Why that much devotion to books? Well, it is very possible that they have found something(s) that many of us haven’t found. Maybe they have come to realize that reading is essential in our lives. But how essential?
Below let’s explore the ten (10) reasons why you may want to reconsider your thoughts about the benefits of consistent reading.
According to Catherine Winter in 10 Benefits of reading: Why you should every day,
Reasons include:
Mental stimulation: studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress of (or possibly even prevent) Alzeheimer’s and Dementia, since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power. Just like any 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.
Stress reduction: no matter how much stress you have at work, on 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.
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.
Vocabulary expansion: 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.
Stronger analytical 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 “whodunit”.
Subodh Sharma in 17 Reasons Why Reading is Important for Everyone also highlighted the following:
It helps you discover yourself: every good book opens up new dimensions of thoughts for the reader… This not only keeps you engrossed into the book but it also makes you realize how you would react and feel to those situations that have not yet occurred in your life… So with every page that you read, you have a chance to discover a new part of yourself.
It’s a great source of motivation: life is tricky. Sometimes there are moments in our life when we feel down and discouraged. We may lose our hope and interest in life and just want to give up. Well, in times like this, sometimes all we need is a little motivation, little push in the right direction.
It makes you humble: reading books not only enlightens you with knowledge, but it also makes you realize how much you don’t know about the world.
It improves your focus and concentration: the internet has definitely revolutionized our world. But there’s a huge drawback too. For many of us, a large part of our day is spent surfing, chatting, watching videos, reading unnecessary memes and articles online. No wonder people are growing more impatient and losing focus. However, reading books is one of those constructive habits that actually help us improve our concentration power.
It gives you joy and pleasure: one basic reason why we read is simply because we enjoy reading. Reading brings happiness and joy in our life.
These and many more capture the reality that reading should be integrated in our lives. Those who don’t read remain ignorant about a lot of things and are often left out on the outskirts of reality.