Reading habits are changing. Even though we’re reading every day, it's in the form of tweets, social media posts and other short-form content. Reading books (fiction in particular) can have beneficial effects on us for our entire lives. Let's talk about why we need to bring back books and get back to reading for fun!
Interesting Facts About Reading
According to Bookly, the number of people reading is dropping every year. In 1982, 56.9% of people had read at least one fiction book in the previous 12 months. This fell to 54% in 1992 and 46.7% back in 2002. It continues to drop every year as people find other ways to spend their time. Women are also more likely to be readers than men.
Helps Children Perform Better in School
It’s recommended that parents start reading with their kids from a very young age. It helps them to develop language and communications skills and can give them a head start in Kindergarten. When it comes to determine reading levels, children who had been read to from a young age performed better overall.
Promotes Bonding Between Children and Parents
Reading with your child is good for their academic development, but it has a range of other benefits too. Reading with your child means that you are spending quality time together in a stress-free situation without distraction. It is recommended that you read to your children regularly from infancy all the way through elementary school. After all, who doesn’t like a good bedtime story?
Improves Knowledge
They say that the 'antidote to stupidity' is reading. Reading a wide range of books improves our knowledge and understanding of the world. It was Dr. Seuss who wrote ‘the more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.’
Leads to Success
Some of the most successful people in the world are avid readers. Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk all credit reading as a hugely important part of their lives. They know it’s important enough to make time for, even if they are running multibillion-dollar companies. Many successful people know that reading is the key to learning.
Builds Imagination
When we read, it stimulates the brain and builds connections between different areas of the brain, improving function and stimulating our imagination. Our ability to create and visualize things in our mind improves.
Expands Vocabulary
Reading exposes us to more words that we can use in our everyday vocabulary. Being able to articulate yourself well is a skill that will benefit you throughout your social life and career.
Provides Mental Stimulation
Keeping your mind active can slow the progression or prevent conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer's. Think of your brain as a muscle that requires exercise, just like any other. Reading is one way to keep it in good shape.
Improves Your Memory
When you read regularly, you keep details in your mind. When you’re engaged with a story, your brain begins to develop new pathways and can strengthen the ones you already have. This can give a big boost to your short and long term memory.
Builds Focus
Attention spans are decreasing. We’re conditioned to performing so many different tasks at the same time that we can’t focus our attention. Reading requires longer periods of focus, which can train your brain to keep its attention on one task for a longer period of time.
Reduces Stress
Life is stressful. Whether we’re worried about school, career or personal life, it’s difficult to keep stress levels down. Disappearing into a good story can take your mind off your troubles and improve stress levels.
Fosters Longevity
Studies conducted over a long period found that there was a 20% reduction in certain mortality risks. There are several potential reasons for this. Reading can keep the mind active and stimulated, preventing many age-related declines. Readers are often able to perform cognitive tasks better than those of the same age who do not read.
Develops Critical and Analytical Thinking Skills
Reading allows you to analyze details and develop skills to critique the story. If this is something you particularly enjoy, then joining a book club is a great idea. Knowing you need to talk about the book you're reading will persuade you to analyze it in greater depth and talk about it confidently.
Improves Your Writing Skills
Stephen King, one of the most famous writers in the world, said, ‘if you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.’ Alongside developing your vocabulary and imagination, reading helps you write, too. Through reading the work of others, you can learn about storytelling, sentence structure, tone of voice, and many other strategies that can help improve writing.
Provides Entertainment
With a library card or audiobook subscription, you have the key to almost unlimited free entertainment. You’ll never be bored if you have access to books and can choose whichever genre takes your fancy on a particular day.
Increases Your Emotional Intelligence
Research studies have shown that reading fiction, in particular, can develop your ability to empathize with others. By following the lives and inner feelings of the characters, your ability to understand them improves, too. This then carries over into your everyday life and can improve external relationships.
Helps You Sleep
Reading can be an important part of winding down and disconnecting for the night. Rather than spending time watching TV or scrolling through your phone, spending a little time reading can tell your brain it’s time to get ready for sleep.
Increases Happiness
In a survey by Quick Reads, those adults who read for as little as half an hour once a week were 20% more liked to feel overall satisfaction with their lives. This was far higher than those who did activities such as listening to music, walking or relaxing in other ways.
How to Get Back into Reading
If you want to read more or get back into reading after a period away, then there’s no time like the present. E-readers are becoming popular now and you can get an inexpensive subscription that lets you rent books like you would in a library. Even if you only read a page or two a day, it’s a start! The important thing is that you are making time for reading regularly. Eventually, you’ll build up your reading time and begin to experiment with a greater range of books.
Reading is still a popular past time, but every year, the numbers of avid readers are dropping. It's never too late to develop a love of reading or to incorporate more reading into your life. If you have children, be sure to foster a love of reading in them from an early age. Children learn by observation, and if they see you enjoying a good book every now and then, chances are, they'll want to start reading, too!
No comments
New comments are not allowed.