Why Reading is Beneficial

When was the last time you read anything other than something on social media? For many of you it may be quite a while, and let me tell you something: you are missing out! Reading is incredibly beneficial to your everyday life. Continue reading and learn some of the perks that come with being a reader.

• Stress relief – No matter what age you are, you always have something causing you to stress out whether it is school, friends, your job or your family. Reading is like therapy for those of us who enjoy it. No matter how much stress is on our shoulders it is easy to get carried away into the story and escape reality for a while. If you have trouble falling asleep at night due to stress, reading for 15 minutes before bed could help you fall asleep sooner.  
• Mental stimulation – Reading helps keep the brain active and engaged. By doing so you give your brain the exercise it needs and keep it from losing its power and keep it healthy which could help prevent illnesses that affect your brain.   
• Memory improvement – When reading a book there are many things that need to be remembered. Like who each character is, their characteristics, their background, plots and schemes, etc. And by creating new memories, the brain creates new brain pathways that also strengthen existing ones which improves your ability to remember things.  
• Stronger analytical thinking skills and vocabulary expansion – Throughout a book you find yourself catching on to details that add to what is going on in the story.  You try to sort them out to determine what happened or what is going to happen. At the end of the book you think about whether you thought the story was well written or not and you learn to express your opinion with solid evidence from the story to support it. You may not realize it but by doing all of that you were able to put critical and analytical thinking skills to work. The more you do it, the better you get at it! By reading you also expose yourself to new words and their meaning by the context around them, which in return helps expand your vocabulary. Knowledge is precious and no matter what happens it cannot be taken away from you!  

So next time you’re having a bad day, start enjoying some of the incredible benefits that  come with reading, grab a book and enjoy yourself some free entertainment!

PS - In search of your next great read?  Both branches of HCCU are host to a Little Free Library.  Check it out the next time you're in!

Post by: Karla C.