8 Scientific Reasons Reading is Good for You
I’m a bookworm first and a nurse second, so I had to hit you with the facts about why reading is beneficial to our mental and physical wellbeing. Engaging with a good book can reduce stress levels, lower blood pressure, and improve focus and concentration. The act of reading stimulates the brain, keeping it active and engaged, which can help stave off cognitive decline as we age. Additionally, reading has been linked to improved sleep quality and enhanced empathy and emotional intelligence. So, the next time you pick up a book, remember that you're not just entertaining yourself - you're also investing in your well-being.
Reading Increasing Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
A 2013 study published in "Science” found that literary fiction, in particular, led to readers being better at understanding what other people were thinking and feeling, along with increasing their capacity for empathy. Books can help open your mind to learning about different types of people and gives you the opportunity to learn how to be more empathetic towards them.
Reading Improves Sleep
A 2020 study found that using a mobile device for at least 30 minutes after turning off the lights resulted in poor sleep quality, daytime sleepiness and other sleep disturbances. Reading a book before bed, however, has exactly the opposite effect. reading activates the frontal lobe, the limbic system, and it creates a relaxing cascade in the body. 42% of people who read a book before bedtime felt their sleep improved. reading before bed minimizes exposure to blue light, which emits from electronics, and messes up our circadian rhythm.
Reading Reduces Stress
Reading can help relax your body by lowering your heart rate and easing the tension in your muscles, with a reduction in stress of up to 68% in people when silently reading a book for only six minutes,. another study found that 30 minutes of reading had the same ability to decrease stress as 30 minutes of yoga. You mean i can workout and stay in my pajamas on the couch at the same time? Count me in
Reading Improves Focus and Concentration
Compared to using social media, reading helps improve concentration by increasing the capacity for longer attention spans, according to a 2015 study on adhd. Reading utilizes your prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain that controls your concentration and attention. When you read, the brain utilizes connections that interpret words, making reading a great way to improve your CONCENTRATION
Reading Improves Resilience and Comfort With Uncertainty
When reading fiction, your brain takes notes of all of the details and gets into critical thinking mode to try to figure out what happens next, a practice that is useful not just when reading but in day-to-day life and work. As you read, you critically think about the story and the plotline, which allows you to exercise your analytical skills. Mystery and thrillers help our brains practice problem solving and at times, leave us hanging which strengthens our ability to accept uncertainty and adapt.
Reading Increases Survival and Mortality
A 2016 study published in the journal of Social Science & Medicine found reading books can reduce mortality by up to 20%. any level of book reading gave a significantly stronger survival advantage, particularly for adults 65 and older who "redirect leisure time" from watching TV into reading books. However, Not all reading methods are created equal the study found reading books contributed to survival advantage moreso than reading newspapers or magazines.
Reading Slows Cognitive Decline
Like the rest of your body, your brain needs exercise to help keep it working at its best. Reading books is one way to help keep your mind sharp. Reading has been shown to slow the rate of memory deterioration and even improve your memory and thinking skills. It can slow the progress of ALZHEIMER’S disease and dementia by keeping your brain active and engaged, especially when reading out loud.
Reading Enhances Language and Vocabulary
Reading improves the connections inside the left temporal cortex of the brain—the area which is associated with language reception. Readers have a much higher rate of vocabulary growth than non-readers. Exposure to vocabulary through reading (particularly during childhood) not only leads to higher scores on reading tests, but higher scores on general tests of intelligence.
