“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” – In this quote, George R.R. Martin has highlighted the most ultimate benefit of reading books.
Technology has brought us both closer to and farther away from reading and the benefits of reading books as well. Now that millions of e-books are available at the click of a button and physical books can be home-delivered in record time, it’s easier than ever to indulge in books and read whatever we like. However, reading is also facing stiff competition from easy access to the internet and its many distractions, from social media to gaming, videos, movies, and more. Nevertheless, there are immense benefits of reading books, giving you all the more reasons to pick up a book today and dive right in!
Any habit may take some time to form, but investing time in inculcating a habit (and hobby!) of reading will help other spheres of your life in many ways. If you are already a bookworm, then even more reasons to know the advantages of reading books.
Here are the top 8 ultimate benefits of reading books:
Mental Stimulation
Like all other muscles, even your brain needs exercise to stay in optimum condition. Mental stimulation is the best way to exercise your brain, keeping it active, engaged and ready to take on new challenges and is also a great benefit of reading books on a regular basis. Although puzzles and cognitive games are also known to challenge the mind, reading books is a marathon for the mind, and also provides entertainment.
According to studies, mental stimulation has been found to slow down or even prevent, the progression of conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. The massive variety of books available, across different genres and complexity levels, makes it easy for you to choose how much mental stimulation you are in the mood for, for example, whether you want a complicated book or a simpler one.
Knowledge
Knowledge is power. One of the primary benefits of reading books is the knowledge one attains on a variety of subjects. The age-old proverb retains its value even to this day, and reading is one of the best sources of knowledge. Among the advantages of reading books is that with every book you read, you learn new things and new information, sometimes even unintentionally. Instead of forcing your memory to retain details, the knowledge in books seeps into your mind in an easier, enjoyable and long-term manner. After all, you never know when those details will come in handy.
Whether the book you read is non-fiction on a topic you want to learn more about or a fictional book that happens to catch your fancy, a book is a product of immense work by the writer and his or her viewpoints offer you a fresh perspective.
Vocabulary Expansion
Having a vast and impressive vocabulary is a major asset these days, especially professionally and can help you gain that much desired new job or promotion. A good vocabulary boosts your self-confidence, self-esteem and your communication skills as you will be able to articulate more effectively.
The best way to expand your vocabulary is by reading. Simply going through a list of words you want to learn is unlikely to add them into your vocabulary, especially in your speaking or the new words will appear forced. Another of the advantages of reading books is that when you read, you gain exposure to more words and even more importantly, you become familiar with how they are used, making it easier for you to use new words in your speech and writing. Especially if you are learning a new language, reading books in that language will significantly improve your familiarity with vocabulary and grammar, providing better fluency.
Strong Analytical Skills
Strong analytical skills are essential for problem solving, as they help you examine all aspects of a problem and help you come up with a solution. Problem solving is more than a mathematics question, as we face problems every day of our lives. Top colleges and job recruitment exams always test for analytical skills and logical reasoning. Since analytical skills are so important, how to improve them?
The answer is reading books. One of the major benefits of reading books is that it hones your analytical skills. Any book follows some form of logical structure, and as you read, your mind will automatically analyze the content. In fiction, paying attention to the plot, the character arcs and storylines, or in non-fiction, the development of the main topic, all of this will help you in getting strong analytical skills. Want to test drive your analytical skills? Discuss books with others, and you will find out the clarity in your thoughts.
Better Concentration
An unfortunate but increasingly common side-effect of our modern, technology-driven times is short attention spans. Between tapping touch screens and clicking touchpads, we want everything fast. Speed is good, of course, because time is money, but having the ability to concentrate and focus is invaluable. In addition to the other advantages of reading books, they also improve our concentration skills.
When you are reading, a book draws your attention entirely, so that you are focusing on what is happening in the book, the story, plot, topics, characters and various facets described in it. Regular reading of even only 15-20 minutes a day can help improve your concentration. With improved concentration abilities you can significantly boost your productivity levels and achieve more success in lesser amounts of time.
Improved Memory
According to neuroscientists, the storage capacity of the human brain is anywhere between 100 TB to 2,500 TB or 2.5 Petabytes (PB). We are definitely nowhere even close to accessing the full extent of our memory, but we can certainly improve our existing memory by reading books. Better memory is a useful asset, especially in the professional sphere and will give you an edge over any competition.
When you read books, you are reading large amounts of content. To make sense of the book you have to remember the various characters, settings, backgrounds, histories, sub-plots and other details. Every new memory created forms new synapses or pathways in your brain and strengthens synapses that are already existing, improving your memory. Reading books on related topics helps build on the existing memories, further strengthening them for long-term use and keeping your mind agile.
Better Writing
Good writing involves a lot of different components; clarity of thought, grammar, sentence structure, fluidity and vocabulary being among the key factors. So, what better way than to learn from the experts? Like budding musicians learn from listening and practising, and painters learn from studying paintings and trying it themselves, as a writer you can improve your skills by reading books.
Published books have already gone through many levels of scrutiny and have excellent grammar. By reading books, you will invariably pick up tricks of writing and can use those to improve your own writing skills. Even if you do not want to become a professional author or write books, the writing skills you develop can be used in your daily life and professionally, since writing is an unavoidable part of most modern jobs. Having good writing skills make an excellent first impression when you communicate with anyone in written form. Writing skills can be cashed in at any time, and will stay with you throughout your life.
Reduced Stress Levels
Stress can have catastrophic effects on your life, leading to a cacophony of physical illnesses and hampering your productivity levels. One of the most significant benefits of reading books is that they help reduce your stress levels. Whether you are stressed out because of work, personal issues or any other concern, reading helps distract your mind. You can let yourself go in a book, immerse yourself in a new world and new experiences, returning to your life refreshed and stronger to take on your challenges.
Whatever may be your preference, whether history to learn about the past, science to know more about the world around you, self-help books to improve your life or spiritual books to seek inner peace, the long-form format of books promises an engaging experience, regardless. If you enjoy fiction, whether it is a thrilling mystery, offbeat science fiction, fantasy novels, long-drawn series or even horror or comedy, there is a genre to suit every taste and mood. Books have been found to have a profound impact on mood, and bring tranquillity and enjoyment to readers.
Due to the benefits of reading books, they are often recommended to be read before sleeping, so as to help you relax from the day and cool-down without any digital screens so that you can have a peaceful sleep.
There are millions upon millions of books already in publication and the hobby of reading can be traced back hundreds of years. Technology has made books easily accessible so that you can read on any device you prefer, from wherever you are and whenever you want. Even if you are short on time, you can squeeze in short reading sessions in your daily commute or whenever you find a spare moment. Regardless of whether you are still a student, a working professional, or busy with family, the advantages of reading books are applicable to everyone. And when it comes to what to read, check out our recommendations for books by Indian authors or best books across the globe.