“If you don't like to read, you haven't found the right book.” J.K. Rowling
Open new doors by expanding your reading list. Find curated lists from people you admire. Make the effort to not read the same types of books or materials. Mix it up! Don’t hesitate quitting a book you don’t like. It’s stealing time from a treasure yet to be discovered. Read printed books, not just e-books. They are easier on the eyes and amplify the joy of reading by engaging the senses through touch and the smell of older books. Here are six reasons you should read every day.
Reading increases your concentration
In this media-crazed world, our thoughts are drawn in a million different directions, and our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. This constant sensorial barrage causes stress levels to rise and our productivity to fall. Reading forces you to focus, causing your brain to form deep connections and increase your concentration.
Reading improves your memory
When you read a book, you have to remember an assortment of characters, their backgrounds, ambitions, history and nuances, as well as the various arcs and sub-plots that weave their way through every story. Remembering all of that creates new synapses (brain pathways) and strengthens existing ones, which assist in short-term memory.
Reading increases your ability to empathize
People who read literary fiction—stories that explore the inner lives of characters—show a heightened ability to understand the feelings and beliefs of others. By escaping into the lives of others, you develop skills essential for building, navigating and maintaining social relationships.
Reading builds your vocabulary
The more you read, the more words you are exposed to, and they will inevitably find their way into your vocabulary. Besides boosting your self-esteem, being articulate helps in any profession. Those who are well-read, well-spoken and knowledgeable on a variety of topics tend to get promotions more often than those with smaller vocabularies and little awareness of literature, scientific discoveries and world events.
Reading reduces your stress
No matter how much stress you have in your life, it all slips away when you lose yourself in a great story. A captivating novel can transport you to other realms, while an engaging article will distract you and keep you in the present moment, letting tensions drain away and allowing you to relax. Research has found that 30 minutes of reading can lower blood pressure, heart rate and psychological distress as effectively as yoga and humor.
Reading strengthens your thinking skills
Have you ever read a mystery and solved it before finishing the book? If so, you were using critical and analytical thinking to detect patterns, solve problems and assimilate new information as you were guessing “whodunnit.”