In this fast-paced generation, in order for everyone to keep up, everything needs to be essentially concise, quick, and instant. With everything going digital, a lot has drastically changed even in the literature and it requires shorter versions of almost everything and hoping it for long-term retention. When was the last time you actually hold, read, and finish a physical book? While it is true that we only experience an actual book-reading in schools as an academic requirement, it is also a known fact that there are major benefits why you should still continue to read a book even without academic bounds.
- BRAIN EXERCISE
Reading books can simply tickle your mind and stimulate your brain. This is because you won’t really notice that you are already imagining the scenarios and picturing everything in your mind. Amusing as it may seem, reading books is a bridge between the author and the readers. Reading books can activate your left side of the brain for the creativity and right side of the brain for the memory stretch. Particularly in novels, you tend to memorize and get used to a character’s personality even without actually meeting him or her. A lot of studies show that just like the body, the brain needs exercise in order to resist early degeneration. Constantly reading books can save you from Alzheimer’s and Dementia as the brain ages along with us. Just like the muscles in a human body, it needs a little work and exercise to avoid unnecessary aches and pains in the long run. The human brain is too complex not to make use of and giving it constant exercise will save it too early senility.
- HEALTH IMPROVEMENTS
Since making a book reading a habit, it automatically affects our health in a positive way. Since it stimulates our mind like a type of entertainment, it relaxes your body. Reading will take you farther than your feet and money can bring you and you can stay longer in that place as long as you wish. It increases your awareness of what is out there and what else could be out there. The way it stimulates and energizes the imagination and excitement in every flip of a page decreases the chances of depression because there is something you would look forward to and wondering how a novel would end. Reading various genres of books would also increase the mood as the readers would connect with more and more authors and would travel to more and more places. Of course, having a good mood would also lead to a good sleep. Who wouldn’t want to have a good sleep? Studies consistently prove that there is a direct and significant relationship between mood and sleep; Unless you will choose to flip more pages because of the excitement from the book you are reading. Nevertheless, it exactly shows the enjoyment!
- FOCUS
As mentioned, this generation is full of short-attention-span and focus has become a luxury nowadays. Reading a book even for an hour a day may improve one’s focus and concentration. It is difficult to digest a novel with a disturbed and cluttered mind. With an improved focus and concentration, it can also help in the daily tasks and might form into a behavior if it becomes a habit. When a person focuses on something, a huge part of his or her life is given. Yes, not just time, but life. People focus unto something where they think there will always something to gain. An undivided time and attention while reading a book gives you the focus and concentration you need to digest all the gain you can get from one page to another.
- LIFE EXTENDER
Well, not just the health and well-being profit from book reading but also our lifespan as a whole. Yes, reading books actually can extend our lifespan! There was actually a study released about the long-term study of book readers. The Yale School of Public Health released the results from their 12 years of study. The results showed that people who read an average of 30 minutes a day, assuming with full focus and concentration, lived with an average of 2 years longer than those who do not read at all. Not just that, but results have shown that people who read actual and physical books like novels, prose, or the like for more than 3 hours each week have a higher percentage of extending his or her life than those who just read newspapers or magazines. How cool is that?!
- KNOWLEDGE PROVIDER
Human Beings grow and yearn for knowledge every time and we do not want to feel stagnant at any point. We always search for a higher purpose and for a greater good but where and how do you start? Families can only teach us so much and school can teach us to an extent. The society can teach us with inhibitions and even the surroundings can only teach us what we wanted to know. Books, however, is a different teacher. It is true that experience is the best teacher and it will bring a constant amusement and addition to one’s knowledge every time a book is read. Readers experience the same creativity that the author wants to convey. We tend to analyze and try to understand every word that makes up the sentences written hence, the enrichment of the vocabulary. A wider vocabulary can lead to better writing and conversation skills and it will eventually teach us the social skills we need.
- KEY TO A WEALTHY LIFE
It is a known fact that knowledge is power and one of the best sources of that knowledge is a book. With focus and creativity, one can really profit from the time invested in reading and digesting all the lessons a book can offer. Fiction or Non-Fiction can always give knowledge and if applied smartly, it can pave the way for more career opportunities also a boost in the career ladder. Reading books can give you a lot of examples on how one can really apply the knowledge in real life and most of them are just hidden inside figures of speech. Reading between the lines can help a person discern practicality after gaining the book knowledge.
Having all these mentioned, before you get lost scrolling down tweets and timelines – even just for an hour a day – to pick up a book and read.
Leave a Comment