“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”
– Joseph Addison
Introduction:
You should read more often. There I said it. What other take away do you need from me? But seriously, you should read more often. Here’s why: There are only benefits to reading. It may seem pretty crazy, but it’s true. Reading is like exercise but for your brain. It’s not required, but having a habit of doing it will give you a healthier, happier life.
Reading has been around for a pretty long time. But uniquely, it’s only been within the past couple of centuries that the average Joe could read. For most of history, reading was a privilege for the upper class. The fact that anyone can pick up a book and learn how to read casually is pretty new. And what’s even better? There are more options than ever to read. It’s insane, actually. Never before have we ever had so many people who could read and so much to read. We really should be taking more advantage of it. I don’t think most of us really understand how privileged we are to have the freedom to read.
Personally, I think it’s a virtue to read. While some book people may have a superiority complex about themselves, there really isn’t any reason why someone should not be in the habit of reading. The number one excuse I hear people give to get out of reading isn’t that they are too busy. It’s that it’s too hard. If someone is too busy to read, they can make time to read. But if it’s too hard, then there is an unwillingness to read. Those sort of people don’t want to commit themselves to a discipline. The unfortunate thing is that those people don’t realize what they are missing out on. Let’s find out what that is , shall we?
Mental Benefits to Reading More Often:
Reading is a very healthy activity for the brain. It stimulates it. Reading is an engaging activity, not a passive one. You have to think about and process words on a page. Your eyes have to decipher information. This kicks the brain into gear. It’s like exercising. If you are just getting into the habit of reading, it can take some effort, but once you do it consistently, you find that it’s easier. Because reading stimulate the brain, it increases your comprehension as cognitive abilities. You can think more clearly and more critically. To keep any part of your body healthy, you have to use it regularly. Reading is a great way to use your mind regularly.
This goes somewhat without saying, but reading often improve vocabulary. It introduces the reader to new words. Even better than that, it’s exposing the reader to new words in context. The reader comes to understand better how the word can be used and what it means. The higher quality literature we read as well, the more often we are exposed to vocabulary we may not use in our day to day life but may be worth knowing.
A great way to improve focus is to read more often. Having the habit or discipline of sitting down for a set amount of time to do nothing but read gets one into the mindset of focus. This only works if you set aside distractions though. This is why reading one a digital device may not be best, because distractions are very present. To improve your focus, make sure you are not rushing over the text, but trying to comprehend what it is saying. Back track if you need to. Part of developing high-quality focus is diligence.
Last point I’ll make is that reading improves imagination. This is not exclusive to fiction. By exposing us to ideas, perspectives, stories, settings, etc., our brain forms the habit of conjuring up pictures. We have to think about something to understand it. This will bleed into other parts of your life. It will become a regular trait for you to think to picture things to better understand them.
Emotional Benefits to Reading More Often:
Reading fiction and biographies particularly help develop stronger empathy. Too often we can get stuck in our own head with the ideas and feelings that bounce around in there. Reading pulls us away from that and exposes us to something new. We learn about the stories of other people (be them real or made-up) and we imagine ourselves in their scenarios. We ask ourselves how we would feel in their shoes. Before you know it, you will find yourself being sympathetic towards other people and their plights because you’ve been training yourself to be empathetic. It’ll come as second nature. You’ll find yourself relating to people more than you thought possible.
If you read more often, you may reduce stress. I believe this primarily takes affect when reading a physical book. Reading forces you to slow down and focus. Ideally, all distractions are put away. Physically, you are resting. Reading is close to meditation. It gets you to slow down, focus, and into a flow state. This leads to a lowered heart rate. I find that whenever I read for 10-15 minutes, I am much more zen than before I started. Which leads me to my next point…
Reading may help improve sleep. At least if you do it right before bed. I have a habit of reading 10-15 minutes before bed most nights and it genuinely helps me wind-down. Falling asleep comes much quicker to me when I do read. If I don’t read, I find that my mind tends to race as I lie down. And when my mind is making laps, falling asleep is much harder. Also, reading isn’t an over-stimulating activity. Many people choose to look t their phones before bed, and it’s very stimulating. It’s not good for falling asleep and staying asleep. But reading? I’ve found that’s the cherry-on-top to my nightly routine.
How to Read More Often:
If you want to get into the habit of reading more often (or just reading in general) make it enjoyable and easy. Don’t start by picking up War and Peace. That’s for people who have exercised their reading skills for a while. If you start too big, you’ll quickly be discouraged and just stop reading all together. Start with something small and light. If you have to, start with a page a day. And once that comes easily, increase the number of pages you read in a sitting, and so on and so forth. Once you comprehend text fairly well, you can begin introducing larger and heavier books.
Another important thing is to choose books you want to read – don’t force yourself to read something you feel like you should read or just don’t want to. We’re trying to make getting into the habit of reading easy. If you choose something you have to force yourself to read, you won’t keep it up and you’ll dread reading every time. If you want to experience the benefits to reading, it has to be a positive experience.
Like any habit, consistency is key. Don’t worry so much about volume or quantity yet, but rather, sitting down with a book (free of distractions) regularly. Once you are able to meet your goal easily, just like physical exercise, slowly being increasing what you can do to “build” your reading muscle. Reading is a great way to enrich your life, so choosing to build that “muscle” will pay off long term.
Conclusion:
So, dear reader, why should you read more often? Because the evidence suggests that there is only good things that come out of it. You could of course argue that there may be some not good things about reading, but those examples would have to be pretty extreme. I think all of us could stand to be readers. The net positive it would bring to our life far outweighs not doing it – it improves cognition and helps with emotional health. What more could you want?
If I can share my personal opinion – I would strongly encourage you to consider reading physical books over digital ones.. With all the distractions that can be found on digital devices, it can prohibit good reading. Even if you stay focused with reading on a device, there is a subconscious part of your brain that associates your phone, tablet, computer, etc. with distraction, so the fight to stay focused will be twice as hard. I genuinely believe that to optimize the benefits of reading, it’s best to do with a physical book. Granted, books are more impractical to handle and obtain, while it can be very practical to have it on a device. It’s your own choice to decide what is more important to you – practicality or optimized benefits.
Hopefully I’ve persuaded you to consider reading more often. It may not come naturally, but with time, patience, and being smart, I think most people can form the habit and will find how quickly then they can excel at it. It’s a matter of dedication and wanting the best for yourself. So come and join the club, pick up a book, and read!
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