The Case for Bringing Reading Back into our Lives

There was a time when everyone’s day started with reading the newspaper. With the advent of the digital age, we rarely see books or the newspapers any more. We get our news and our headlines elsewhere in bite sized pieces we can all digest, or in 140 characters on Twitter. Few of us bother to read detailed articles examining two sides of any particular issue or relate to matters that do not concern us directly. Technology bombards us with information and has made our worlds bigger and smaller at the same time. We now have easy access to information from all parts of the world but it has also made us more cynical and maybe a bit more selfish. We all are cocooned in our own individual worlds. Instead of talking to others, we are glued to our smartphones and laptops. Somewhere along the way, we have lost the art of conversation, of making small talk and of reading for leisure. Nowadays, if we bother to read at all, it is for information that is geared towards a specific purpose, like preparing for a presentation.

Our views are likely to change though if we know that reading has a number of health benefits. These include the following:

• Reading Stimulates the Mind: –Scientific studies have shown that constantly stimulating your mind by reading or learning a new language can help slow the progress of mental diseases like Alzheimers and even prevent them. Reading keeps the brain active and sharpens our logical thinking skills. Unless you use your brain, like every other organ in the body, it becomes weak.
• Reading Increases our knowledge – Reading can help you acquire knowledge. Our brain has an almost infinite capacity for storing information and you never know when some information that you considered useless might come in handy.
• Reading can expand your vocabulary –Many people improve their knowledge of a particular language by reading books in that language slowly advancing from beginner books to more advanced works. As you read more, you learn more words and these words become a part of your vocabulary. Improving your vocabulary can improve your communication skills and can be one way to boost your self-confidence.
• Reading improved your writing skills: Just like reading improves your vocabulary, it also improves your writing skills. We automatically absorb expressions and the styles of the different authors we read and this is reflected in our writing.
• Reading improves our critical and analytical skills – We cannot read a book without reflecting on the actions of the various characters and wondering what would have happened if they had done things differently. We even come up with alternate endings if we not like the endings. This enhances our ability to analyze details and our critical thinking skills. These critical thinking skills are important in different aspects of real life from finishing projects on time at work to navigating relationships.
• Reading can improve your Memory. As you read a book and follow a storyline, you find yourselves keeping track of multiple characters, their backgrounds and their subplots. Each of these memories can help you forge new synapses or (brain pathways) in your brain while reinforcing existing ones. This can significantly enhance your short-term memory.
• Reading Enhances Concentration – Our attention span has decreased severely in a world where we are almost always multitasking. We have become adept at sending an email while talking on the phone and getting ready for work. It is this very multitasking attitude that leads to higher levels of stress. A good book however demands your complete attention so that you can get involved and this will definitely boost your concentration.
• A fun source of entertainment – Reading is a relatively inexpensive and fun source of entertainment. There are books for all tastes ranging from science fiction, chick lit, poetry and self help books to fantasies, biographies and action stories. Cut down screen time and open a book to feed your sould for a little while.
• Feeds your imagination – Reading builds your imagination, giving you plenty of scope to visualize the characters and the situations they face. As you read, you get to explore different subjects, countries and cultures and at least vicariously, you get to experience things you never would otherwise.
• Reduces stress –Reading can help reduce stress. When you read, you escape to another world, one where at least for a little while you are free from the stresses and strains of your daily life. A nice novel can lift your mood and even an interesting article about the culture or politics can take your focus off things that bother you.