Five surprising benefits of reading
Between work and family, it’s hard to find any motivation to find time to sit and read for any length of time. In fact, the average American only reads about five books a year. With countless people reading only social media posts, text messages, and emails, the benefits of reading are not being taken advantage of. But there are many out there, and many of them will surprise you.
1) Reading prevents dementia and Alzheimer’s
Studies show that doing creative and challenging things like reading makes your mind work longer. Like exercise for the body, brain stimulation prevents the signs of aging, including common diseases of the elderly. Diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s can not only be delayed for a long time, but can also be completely prevented in some cases.
2) Increase your memory retention
When reading books, you have to keep all the plots and characters in your head while you gather new information as you turn the pages. This actually strengthens the synapses in your brain the more you do it so you can remember more overall.
3) Reading makes you more empathetic
When you are reading anything with a point of view, be it a memoir, a novel or a personal essay, you are putting yourself in the place of the narrator and you can see things from their point of view, including their flaws, positive points, etc. . and in most cases backstory. This can allow you to empathize with other people in your life, even that annoying coworker who can’t stop complaining.
4) Reduce your stress
Another of the many benefits of reading is stress reduction. When reading an interesting piece, everything around you fades away, even your problems. You will be completely focused on the story or information that will calm you down and make you happier, especially if you are reading something happy and comforting. And when you’re done reading, you may be calm enough to look at your problem again from a different angle.
5) Relieve loneliness and other symptoms of depression
When you are reading a novel, you develop a kind of relationship with the characters. Although one exists only in ink and paper, you are still connected to that character. Sometimes you are even in his head. This alleviates feelings of loneliness because you feel connected to the characters. It also alleviates feelings of sadness and fatigue when you’re reading something uplifting and uplifting. There’s nothing like effective writing describing a fun event at a family gathering to lift your spirits. It can remind you of fond memories of family or friend reunions, and for others like me you may experience the fantasy of an ideal family reunion that will never happen in real life. When I need good encouragement, I personally choose romance novels that are often light-hearted and take place in a world where good always triumphs. (Unless you’re reading Nicholas Sparks. Then there’s death after happily ever after).
These five don’t even count for half of the many benefits you can get from reading. Unfortunately, not enough people get into the habit of reading regularly because they find it too boring or take too long to spend time on it. The trick is to find good books that interest you, regardless of how “intellectual” they are. Rather than prowling Amazon to read reviews that can often be questionable at best, look for a blog that reviews books in a genre you like or one that covers many genres. Below are two great resources to help you find your next great read.