The Power Of Reading Books: 10 Reasons You Should Read Everyday

Everyone says reading is great, you should read everyday, it’s the best habit to inculcate and so on and so forth. But exactly what is it about reading that makes it so wonderful? That’s exactly what we’re studying today. We will look at the power of reading books and 10 reasons you should read everyday.

Increases empathy

Reading takes you out of your own experience and plunges you into the life of another. It forces you to walk in the shoes of another and feel exactly what they’re feeling – and that’s what empathy is all about. If you can relate to fictional characters so much, imagine how much you’ll learn to relate to real, three dimensional people? An hour of reading a day would make you a better person – it would make you sensitive, empathetic and likeable.

Improves attention span

Reading forces you to concentrate on what is going on lest you miss out on an important plot point. Hence, you need to enhance your focus to be able to grasp a book in its entirety, whatever genre it may be. This generalizes to all spheres of your life – an increased attention span while reading means an increased attention span overall. Thus, reading daily will enable you to enhance your productivity in all areas of life.

Enhances imagination

It’s common knowledge that books boost creativity. That’s why the best writers are almost always voracious readers. Reading sparks the imagination, and also enables you to explore a world of possibilities. Things that cannot happen in real life, sometimes things that you can’t even dream of happen in books, which prompts you to explore other possibilities. Reading teaches you that there is no limit to what you can dream of and imagine.

Gives you a perspective

Reading isn’t just a passive activity, your thoughts are constantly shaped by what you read. This enlarges your perspective on life and also allows you to create your own identity and opinions. Reading this allows your child to find his own distinct voice and point of view.

Makes you well informed and knowledgeable

Reading will obviously add to your store of knowledge, and in an interesting way. Whether it’s the non fiction books that directly tell you about something in an interesting way or its’s the fictional books that wrap lessons in stories, there’s going to be a takeaway. Every time you pick up a book, you enrich yourself with information, experience and an added bit of knowledge.

Eases anxiety and stress

Reading before sleep is known to have a calming effect, which induces better sleep. Studies have shown that people who read are less likely to suffer from anxiety. Not only does reading act as a distraction from stressful and anxious thoughts but also increases self esteem, confidence and faith, hence reducing anxiety. Similarly, a 2009 study at the University of Sussex revealed that reading can reduce stress by 68%. Reading is proven to relax the body and mind by lowering heart rate and reducing musle tension, distracting you and luring you into a story that is removed from your actual distresses.

Expands vocabulary and develops analytical thinking

The most practical benefit of reading is the expansion of vocabulary. Reading taking in words will increase the store of words already in your memory, which will in turn enhance communication, comprehension and expression skills. It will also enable you to think deeper and more critically about things, opinions and beliefs when you’re confronted with differing, conflicting viewpoints in the book.

Improves memory

It’s an established fact that reading improves memory. When you’re reading a novel, you need to be able to hold its entirety in your memory for it to be a cohesive, comprehensive experience. This necessity to remember everything that happened before to understand what’s happening now and what’s going to happen is what boosts memory.

Develops metacognition

One of the biggest things that distinguishes humans from other animals is our ability to think about our thoughts – metacognition. This allows us to review our own thoughts, make necessary changes and adapt our cognition to environmental requirements. This ability is crucial to live a smooth life, and by exposing you to varying perspectives, ideas, personalities, opinions and beliefs, books enhance this. They prompt you to think about major issues and also about how right/beneficial/moral your thoughts about these issues are.

Broadens your horizons

As individuals, we tend to be stuck in our own moulds of thinking and set in our own patterns. But reading challenges us to accept that there is no dearth of perspectives outside of our own, forcing us to accept competing truths.

Also Read: 10 Books That Will Help You Reach Your Goals