Reading presents such an important number of benefits that it would be impossible to list them all. Reading represents much more than many imagine. Reading a book is not just a way to pass the time. The pages of the books contain words, stories, feelings capable of transferring emotions to the reader, making him discover unexplored and unimaginable worlds. Furthermore, as shown by several scientific studies, reading also has benefits for the psyche and health of people.
Read, read, read. It is not just a duty, when for example we study or prepare for a professional test (think of a competition and related texts to face it) which is very important for our future. Read down below to find out 10 benefits of reading and how it stimulates your mind.
Stimulate the mind
Studies have shown that stimulating the mind helps prevent or slow the development of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and senile dementia, as keeping the brain always active and engaged helps keep it from losing speed. Like all the other muscles in the body, the brain also needs to exercise to keep fit so the phrase “either you use it or you lose it” is particularly suitable when it comes to your brain. Doing puzzles and playing chess can also help with brain stimulation.
It reduces stress
It doesn’t matter how much stress your work, relationships or other problems you encounter in everyday life cause you: when you are immersed in a story, you find yourself in another dimension, a sort of parallel world, in which you will forget about your problems. A well written novel will transport you to another realm.
Improve your knowledge
Whatever you read will add to your cultural background, expand it and come in handy when you least expect it. The more knowledge you have, the more ready you will be to face the challenges that life presents to you. Furthermore, reading is a great way to feed your thinking: when you find yourself in difficult circumstances, remember that you can lose everything else (money, work, home, even your health) but you can never lose your cultural background. .
Expand your vocabulary
This is one of the most important advantages: the more you read, the better your way of exposing yourself. The new words will also be added to those that make up your daily vocabulary. Expressing yourself well and in an articulate way can also help you in the workplace and knowing that you speak confidently in front of an important person can be stimulating for your self-esteem. Reading books is important for learning a new language, while also allowing you to write more fluently.
Improve your memory
When reading a book, you need to remember a number of characters, their backstories, their ambitions, their stories and nuances, as all the details intertwine with the plot. Memory also has a limit, but the brain is something wonderful and can remember all this with a certain ease. It is also extraordinary how every memory that is created within you, gives life to a new synapse, strengthening the existing ones, thus witnessing a recall of memory that restores our mood.
It makes the analytical capacity of thinking stronger
Have you ever read an extraordinary detective novel, solving the mystery even before you finished the book? In addition, you will be able to use the critical and analytical capacity of thinking even at work, taking note of all the details that are provided to you that you will use to solve the “mystery”. The same skill used to analyze the details will come in handy for critiquing the plot, determining if an acceptable song has been written, if the characters have been properly developed, if the plot is smooth, etc …
Improve the level of attention and concentration
In the world we live in entirely influenced by the internet, attention goes in all possible directions, making us multitask. In just five minutes, each of us does a thousand things: send emails, organize work, chat with more people (through facebook, skype whatsapp, etc.), take a look on twitter, monitor your smartphone and interact with colleagues. This “like” behavior causes an increase in the level of stress, decreasing our productivity. When you read a book, all your attention goes to the story, the rest of the world in fact, remains outside and you are immersed in every detail. Try to read 15-20 minutes before going to work (ps on the way home-to-work, if you take public transport) and you will be surprised by your level of concentration once you arrive at the office.
Improve your writing skills
This point goes hand in hand with vocabulary expansion : exposing yourself publicly, writing well at work has a noticeable effect on one’s writing skills. As for the cadence, fluency and writing style of other authors, it will influence your personal work. In the same way that musicians influence each other by first establishing who the teacher is, so writers learn how to write prose by reading the works of others.
It causes tranquility
In addition to the relaxation that accompanies reading a book, it is possible that the topic you are reading about, takes you to a world where inner peace and tranquility reign. Reading spiritual texts lowers your blood pressure giving you a sense of extreme calm, while reading books on “how to help yourself to …” has been shown to help people with certain behavioral disorders and mental illnesses.
