Well, most of you reading this piece now would remember how our parents and relatives used to empathise on inculcating the habit of ‘Book Reading’ during our good old childhood and school days! There is no doubt that it is a healthy advice and one must abide by it, as there are truly countless advantages of book reading.
People often says that, it is even better to develop the habit for book reading at an early age. Yet there is no harm in starting your inning late, since something as wonderful as book reading is so fruitful that it is going to benefit you at any age or phase of your life. The primary focus should be on understanding the perks of this marvellous habit of book reading. In addition, you need to follow some discipline too while carrying out your book reading habit. Since book reading should be done in a manner where it satisfies one’s soul and give a ‘Sense of Completeness’ after the process has been carried out.
When most of us newly starts to develop the book reading habit, then we make a list of books to complete within a fixed frame of time duration. However, there is no smartness in just completing your target ‘Bucket List’ if you are not able to learn something from the books to read and apply some of the learnings from the books in your practical life. Therefore, it is advised to read with a pace that helps you to achieve contentment and jubilation.
In this article, you will get to read a handful of advantages, which you too can gain from the progenitive habit of book reading. Advantages of book reading –
1) Reading Strengthens your Brain: A growing body of research indicates that reading literally changes your mind. Using MRI scans, researchers have confirmed that reading involves a complex network of circuits and signals in the brain. As your reading ability matures, those networks also get stronger and more sophisticated. Therefore, when our parents and relatives used to say that reading would make your brain stronger, they were very much correct.
2) Increases your Ability to Empathize: Well, some researches has shown that people who read literary fictional stories that explore the inner lives of characters shows a heightened ability to understand the feelings and beliefs of others. Researchers call this ability the “theory of mind,” a set of skills essential for building, navigating, and maintaining social relationships.
While a single session of reading literary fiction isn’t likely to spark this feeling, research also shows that long term fiction readers do tend to have a better developed theory of mind. Therefore, it would be better to carry out the habit of book reading regularly in a disciplined manner.
3) Builds up your Vocabulary: There is no doubt to this fact that book reading develops and improves the vocabulary and this is one of the primary reason why we are often advised to carry out book reading. Researchers have found that students who read books regularly, beginning at a young age, gradually develop large vocabularies. In addition, vocabulary size can influence many areas of your life, from scores on standardized tests to college admissions and job opportunities.
A 2019 poll conducted by Cengage showed that 69 percent of employers are looking to hire people with “soft” skills, like the ability to communicate effectively. Reading books is the best way to increase your exposure to new words, learned in context.
4) Helps in Preventing Age-Related Cognitive decline: The American, National Institute on Aging recommends reading books and magazines as a way of keeping your mind engaged, as you grow older. Although research has not proven conclusively that reading books prevents diseases like Alzheimer’s, studies show that seniors who read and solve math problems every day maintain and improve their cognitive functioning.
In addition, the earlier you start the better. A 2013 study conducted by Rush University Medical Center found that people who have engaged in mentally stimulating activities all their lives were less likely to develop the plaques, lesions, and tau-protein tangles found in the brains of people with dementia.
5) Reduces Stress: In 2009, a group of researchers measured the effects of yoga, humour, and reading on the stress levels of students in demanding health science programs in the United States. The study found that 30 minutes of reading lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and feelings of psychological distress just as effectively as yoga and humour did.
The authors concluded, “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.”
Now, as you can see that I have mentioned a lot of scientific facts and reports of the various researches carried out by the reputed global institutions in this article so you can imagine how great it would be for you to inculcate the habit of book reading!
Written By NEEL PREET – Author of the Books, Voice From The East (2016); Journey With Time Place And Circumstances (2018) & Indian Defence Files (2021).
