Harden Elkington
There are several advantages to reading books. But, let’s be honest, when we can watch the film, listen to the audiobook, or view a YouTube video summary instead of reading a 382-page book, it might be difficult to get ourselves motivated.
But, don’t underestimate the benefits of reading every day. Several studies have shown that it improves our memory and concentration, as well as makes us more empathetic.
Some of the positive effects might be long-term, while some will show up immediately. Here is a list of benefits of reading every day.
Benefits of reading
- Memory Improvement The human brain can process images much faster than text. Reading daily strengthens the brain’s memory center.
- Concentration Improvement Reading daily trains your brain to be more focused on the task at hand.
- Enrichment of Vocabulary When you read, you learn new words, their meaning and pronunciation. You will start considering them as part of your vocabulary naturally when using them in everyday life conversations with other people.
- Fun, Entertainment, and Travel If you are reading a book that is set in another city or country, it will feel as if you are actually there thanks to the descriptive writing.
- Knowledge is power When you read every day, you become more knowledgeable about current affairs (politics, science…). This knowledge will help you stay informed and can lead to other opportunities.
- Make new friends Reading has never been more popular than today, which makes it easy to meet other bookworms just by discussing what you’ve read recently or planning to read next. Perhaps, you will discover that your partner also reads every day.
- It’s relaxing This benefit is not unique to reading, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless. Right before bedtime, you can pick up a good book and slowly start to relax while feeling the stress melt away with every page turned.
- It boosts creativity According to several studies, reading fiction enhances creativity because when you read about an object or person that doesn’t exist in real life, you are able to think more abstractly about it. If you’ve read The Lord of the Rings series, for example, your brain might already be more open to new experiences and breaking routine patterns.
- It’s educational Reading every day also improves children’s school performance because they learn better when information is presented through text rather than images or video.
- It’s a good way to practice empathy In today’s world, it is more important than ever to be understanding of others’ thoughts and feelings.
A great way to achieve this is by reading about the experiences of people from different backgrounds and areas of expertise.
How long do you have to read books daily to achieve results?
The length of time required depends on several factors such as your background knowledge, your confidence in the language you are reading in, how often you read or listen to words that you do not understand, and how much time it takes for the new information to sink in.
As soon as you feel like your daily effort is paying off (in terms of progress), set aside some time every day to read materials that will further improve your knowledge and inspire you.
If you’ve been telling yourself “I don’t have time to read” for a while now, perhaps this list will convince you that it’s time to reconsider the benefits of reading every day!
You can start small – even a couple of pages per day – and then build on what you’ve achieved until you are reading for longer periods of time each day.
Reading can be an activity that is done both alone and in a company, so don’t feel shy trying to convince your spouse or a friend to give it a go with you!
Can reading be an addiction?
Yes, reading can be an addiction. Many people read every day because they become so absorbed in what they are reading that it is their preferred method of relaxation and stress relief.
However, there have been cases of people who have spent a fortune on buying books or who have started to skip work in order to spend more time reading.
If you know a person like this, he or she might have a problem with reading to the point where it can be considered an addiction.
Reading has several benefits and, while you do not need to read books every day for hours in order to get something out of it, sometimes even just ten minutes per day can improve your mind’s capabilities significantly.
If you’ve been putting off reading for “one day” or “when you have more time”, maybe this list will convince you to reconsider the benefits of daily reading.
You can start small – even a couple of pages per day – and then build on what you’ve achieved until you are reading for longer periods of time each day.
Reading can be an activity that is done both alone and in a company, so don’t feel shy trying to convince your spouse or a friend to give it a go with you!
Reading every day makes us smarter. It increases our communication abilities by making words sound more like the way people speak in everyday life.
Really amazing how much of an impact reading every day can have on you! As for being smarter, I guess that also depends on the type of materials you are reading.
For example, if you are interested in science, physics or chemistry books will need to be read more often than novels or other types of literature.
No matter what book is your favorite genre, reading helps you become a better writer. Not only that, but it helps you increase your vocabulary and makes you a better speaker by teaching correct pronunciation. Wow! I didn’t know that!
I always believed that reading does not help improve writing skills because, in my opinion, a person who is a good orator would be able to tell stories or narrate events in such a way that it would captivate an audience.
In my opinion, writing and speaking should be assessed separately because they are two different skills.
- Related post: 10+ Ways To Develop And Cultivate A Reading Habit
- Related post: Best brain hack methods to learn faster
Final thought
Reading every day makes us smarter. It increases our communication abilities by making words sound more like the way people speak in everyday life.
Not only that, but it helps you increase your vocabulary and makes you a better speaker by teaching correct pronunciation. And the great thing about it is that reading has additional benefits as well – from improving your memory to reducing stress and anxiety.
I am a strong believer in the beneficial effects of daily reading because it helps me keep my brain sharp and focused, but also because it is directly related to what I am interested in – more precisely, engineering, science and mathematics.
Reducing stress levels is one of the most important benefits that you get from reading on a daily basis.
I have been reading for a couple of hours per day to help me relax and wind down from work or studying, but it is a bare minimum in order to compensate for the amount of time that people spend on smartphones and tablets nowadays.
Unless you are using your smartphone/tablet in order to learn something new, I strongly advise you to swap it for a book because it will benefit your mind in this way.
I hope you enjoyed reading the article and that it has provided some useful information. If you have other thoughts on this topic, I would be more than happy to hear about them in the comments section!
