‘Tis the season for New Year’s resolutions. Haven’t decided on one yet? Consider reading more! Check out some of the potential benefits of reading below,1 and if you’re looking for book and film recommendations, discussion topics, and conversations, find me on Patreon.
1. Keep your brain healthy.
This one extends to more activities than reading alone, but the advice still stands. According to a 2021 study, “a cognitively active lifestyle in old age may delay the onset of dementia in [adults] by as much as 5 years.”1 If you are looking to keep your brain sharp, think about incorporating reading into your daily life. You can add this practice to your other favorite brain teasers, whether crosswords, Sudoku, or knitting.
2. Train your empathy muscle.
Connecting with people face-to-face undoubtedly helps us understand one another better. But what about the experience of reading about someone else’s life? It turns out to be an effective way of developing empathy as well. Marshall notes that “…reading a novel induces increases in neural connectivity dispersed bilaterally in the somatosensory cortex, suggesting that the reader is effectively placed in the body of the protagonist (a theory termed ‘embodied semantics’).2
3. Relax.
There’s a reason so many people call picking up a good book an “escape.” For me, reading puts my own problems and stressors into perspective, and helps me come at them with a fresh eye. As with anything, be mindful of how you feel after a long reading session. There is such a thing as “too much of a good thing.”
4. Hone your concentration.
Do you find it difficult to rest your attention for long periods of time on one thing? An interesting book can help you practice the art of concentration, a topic we’ll come back to this year on the blog. For now, if concentrating while reading is difficult, engage with the page. Highlight interesting or confusing passages on your Kindle. Jot down thoughts in a notebook while reading a hard copy. Being an active reader will make it easier for you to keep your attention from wandering.
5. Improve your vocabulary.
Have you ever mispronounced a word simply because you learned it by reading, rather than by hearing it out loud from someone else? That’s a (albeit frustrating) sign that your reading is taking you beyond the vocabulary that you might encounter in everyday life. How you use this benefit is up to you–at work, in your writing, or in conversation.
6. Become a lifelong learner.
My personal favorite out of all the reasons on this list has to do with lifelong learning. It is easy to stagnate once you are out of school, or, if you never liked reading for class, to assume that you are “just not a big reader.” But engaging with literature and non-fiction on your own terms throughout your life is a great way to keep expanding your worldview. Pick a topic, any topic, and get started!
7. Sleep better.
Many readers will tell you anecdotally that reading before bed helps them sleep. This is difficult for fans of screen readers and tablets, as the effects of blue light need to be taken into account. But if you are reaching for a traditional hard copy on your bedside table, or perhaps playing an audiobook, you can get your reading in without worrying about screen time.
8. Inspire your creativity.
One thing that most authors have in common is that they read widely, and often have studied within multiple disciplines outside of writing. You’d be surprised how many threads will come to connect the ideas you encounter in your reading, and where those might take you in your own life and work.
I hope you’ll consider the benefits of reading more in 2024! Consider posting your reading goals in the comments. We’re in this together!
As always, I encourage you to think critically and do your own research. Check out a couple of sources below:
Sources
- Wilson, Robert S., et al. “Cognitive Activity and Onset Age of Incident Alzheimer Disease Dementia.” Neurology, vol. 97, no. 9, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000012388.
- Marshall R. “Reading fiction: the benefits are numerous.” Br J Gen Pract. 2020 Jan 30;70(691):79. doi: 10.3399/bjgp20X707945. PMID: 32001468; PMCID: PMC7018408.