How often do you read and why do you read? Is it for pleasure or for something beyond that which is backed by scientific research?
And I don’t mean reading a specific number of books or those books which are currently trending.
I personally believe that reading should not be something you do as a task. The common saying that you should read like 20 or even 100 books a year is beyond me.
It doesn’t have to be a competition.
Reading a lot of books doesn’t guarantee you success. So why try to read as many as possible without enjoying each one of them properly?
The important thing is to grasp and learn as much as possible from the book you’re reading right now.
Don’t rush, savor it.
The world’s first novel was ‘The Tale of Genji’. It was a 54-chapter story of courtly seduction written by Murasaki Shikibu in the 11th century.
Developing a habit of reading from early age benefits both your mind and body. Let’s look at some of the benefits of reading.
Table Of Contents
Read More Often For A Better Mind & Body
1. Literally changes your mind
Researches involving MRI scans have found that when you read, a complex network of circuits and signals are generated in your brain.
As your habit of reading grows, so does the network of circuits.
The network becomes stronger and more sophisticated too.
When suspense builds up in a book that you are reading, there is increased activity in your brain. The somatosensory cortex to be exact. (Source)
Somatosensory is the part of the brain that responds to physical sensations like movement and pain.
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2. Reduces stress
Research conducted in 2009 found that 30 minutes of reading decreases blood pressure, heart rate, and feelings of mental distress in the same way that yoga and humor do.
The research was done on students in health science programs in the US.
The authors said, “Since time constraints are one of the most frequently cited reasons for high-stress levels reported by health science students, 30 minutes of one of these techniques can be easily incorporated into their schedule without diverting a large amount of time from their studies.”
3. Reduced risk of Alzheimer’s & Dementia
Reading stimulates your mind and keeps it active for longer. The brain works like any other muscle in your body.
It needs exercise too, in order to keep itself running.
Studies suggest that regular reading can help maintain the power of your brain.
This can result in reduced risk of Alzheimer’s and Dementia and may even prevent it.
Doing puzzles and playing games such as chess have also been found to be helpful with cognitive stimulation.
4. Knowledge building
Don’t you feel that after completing our studies, we barely learn anything new each day?
While we are enrolled in an education course, we have lectures, chapters to read.
But after that is done with, how often does your brain get some kind of simulation because you’re trying to learn something new?
You can never have enough knowledge. Reading any kind of book gives you knowledge that might come in handy at some point in your life. Every book adds an experience you’ve had in your life.
Things like money and job are volatile. But your knowledge? No one can take that away from you.
5. Parents should read with their children
Parents and their children should read together. It helps build a happy relationship between the kids and the books.
It is no doubt that childhood plays a crucial role in shaping what a person becomes like in their adult life.
If kids develop a likeliness towards books from an early stage, it is more likely to be continued for years to come.
Reading at home boosts school performance later on. It also increases vocabulary, raises self-esteem, and builds good communication skills.
6. Have a better developed ‘Theory of Mind’
‘Theory of Mind’ is the name given to the ability of a person to understand and empathize with other’s feelings.
Research has shown that people who read fiction have a greater ‘Theory of Mind’ which is a skill-set needed for building and maintaining social relationships.
This isn’t true for when you read a single fiction book, only long-term fiction readers tend to develop this skill over time.
7. Lessen symptoms of depression
One of the symptoms of depression is the feeling of isolation and alienation from people. Books can help in reducing this feeling.
Sir Roger Scruton, a British Philosopher wrote, “Consolation from imaginary things is not an imaginary consolation.”
Reading fiction can allow you to temporarily escape your own world and become swept up in the imagined experiences of the characters. And nonfiction self-help books can teach you strategies that may help you manage symptoms.
Take a break from binge-watching TV shows and binge-read a book on some days.
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