All Of The Reasons Why You Should Read A Little Bit Everyday

The Benefits Of Reading

It's one of the first things we learn to do as a kid. It lies at the center of our existence allowing us to interact with each other and the world around us. As we get older though, we tend to spend less time reading and more time in front of the television. Why the hell is reading so important and what are the main benefits? Why should we devote a small portion of our days to picking up a book?

Improves Emotional Intelligence

When we read fiction books, we get a first hand account of someone else's life. It's like peeking through a tiny window into someone's soul. We get to experience their emotions, thoughts, and reactions. The ups and downs in their life can feel like our own. This is in fact building empathy. It's forcing us to try to understand the characters and navigate their lives, teaching us to be more empathetic. Our social awareness levels spike because of it. We are putting ourselves in someone else's shoes. One of the greatest benefits of reading, in my humble opinion, is it helps us build up our emotional intelligence.

Builds Vocabulary

When we read, we are subconsciously taking on new words. We may not know what they mean right away, but by seeing the same word time and time again we can start to use context to figure it out. Or by seeing that same word so many times we finally look it up and learn the exact meaning. We then see it again and start to understand how it's used. That word then starts to find its way into your own sentences.

Taking On New Knowledge

A lot of research goes into writing both fiction and non fiction books. When we read we are learning about culture and history. All of the research that was done for the book we are going to ingest while reading. If the book is based in another country and time period, we will learn about those other parts of the world and how they work. What was happening at that time in history. Reading is a great way to continually grow our knowledge base and understanding of the world around us.

Boosts Imagination and Creativity

We don't get a direct image on a screen when we read. It's up to us to create the environment and setting, put clothes on the characters, and imagine their faces. We decorate their apartments or houses and picture their smile. It's always fun and interesting when the movie version of the book comes out, and we get to compare how we perceived the book and imagined it compared to the director of the film.

Improves Memory

Every so often you can have a one-sitting book, but for the most part, we tend to read them in pieces. By default, this forces us to exercise our memory and go back to where we left off, remember what exactly had happened before. We do this over and over again and it slowly compounds and improves our capabilities of being able to remember things.

Sharpens Your Brain | Quicker Thinking

We can communicate and respond more quickly. Reading allows us to take in others' reactions and responses. We by default internalize them and later find ourselves using them too. We can better articulate our thoughts because when reading we are gathering syntax and sentence structure.

Reduces Stress | Promotes Relaxation

When we read we get to leave our day to day lives and immerse ourselves in another world. We naturally find ourselves kicking back and relaxing. It's a great way to reduce our levels of stress and get into a meditatative state. It can calm our inner selves and help us release some of the turmoil from our own lives. Reading is a great escape.

The benefits of reading go far and wide. When looking at the long list of what we attain by doing it, it seems almost foolish to not actively read on a day-to-day basis. It's all about forming good habits and practices. Try putting a book on your bedstand. Or for me personally, I like to leave a couple of books on the couch. It drives my wife mad sometimes, but I have a much better chance of picking up a book instead of turning on the television when the book is next to the remote. Happy reading!

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