Reading books makes us an all round better person by making us happier. It helps our ability to communicate, it boosts our creativity, and brings our humanity into sharp focus.
So here’s a quick list why people should read more books:
You can’t write if you don’t read. You can’t try to write a story without being a reader of the genre.
- Your general knowledge is terrible if you don’t read. People who read lots of fiction remember details. The best way to impart knowledge is through storytelling.
- It helps you develop your own philosophy on life. It gives you perspective – a toolset with which to deal with everything. Without reading, your worldview is limited to the people immediately around you and the superficial nature of television and the internet.
- It helps you develop critical thinking skills. Without books, you have no reference point. Using your brain when you read helps you to develop cognitive skills. If you can’t comprehend and articulate your thoughts, you can’t argue coherently.
- You can de-stress with minimal expense. Reading books and escaping into imaginary worlds allows us respite from our everyday problems. Even six minutes of reading can reduce your stress levels by more than two thirds. This is more effective than watching television or playing games.
- You can keep your brain stimulated. A study by Washington University monitored brain activity to see what happens when we’re reading a novel. It found that our brains visualize the events and tie them to things we have personally experienced. Reading a good book actually creates new neural pathways.
- You get to understand the world. When you read fiction, you understand that people behave in certain ways. You get to see their motives and the results of their actions. Again, because it is in the form of a story, you learn from reading about them.
- You learn social skills. Reading fiction helps us to know how to connect and interact with others in the real world. Research by Keith Oatley, Ph.D., at the University of Toronto, shows that people who read more fiction score higher on both empathy tests and social ability tests.
- You learn that you are not alone. Perhaps, this is the most important reason why you need to read. Sometimes, we feel overwhelmed by the world and our problems. Reading about how other people deal with problems gives us perspective on our own.
- You’re less likely to be a terrible person. The research by Keith Oatley shows reading fiction improves empathy. It isn’t that empathetic people prefer to read more.
What are you reading at the moment?
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