15 Reasons Why Reading Is Important

Why reading is important? – It’s about your life, pleasure and happiness.

Amidst mindless scrolling on social media and the ceaseless streaming of Netflix shows, we have become dangerously distant from the simple pleasure of reading books. Our reading routine often centers around sifting through Facebook posts, chuckling at tweets and glancing at news headlines or even product descriptions while shopping online.

While most of us jot down ‘reading a certain number of books’ on our New Year’s Resolutions list every year, very few of us actually manage to finish even a single one. Ok, not all of us, however, what was the last time you read a book? If the answer is a fading memory that you are struggling to remember, you are certainly missing out on a lot. 

Reading is more than a convenient pastime. From broadening one’s perspective and building better vocabulary to boosting knowledge and creativity, reading is important and has countless benefits.

It not only allows you to explore multiple realities and expand your knowledge but it also inspires success. If you are still not convinced, the following are 15 reasons why reading is important and why it should be an integral part of your life.

1. Reading widens your perspective 

Books can offer windows to other worlds. Realities that the reader has never known or perhaps never even imagined. They allow you to walk in someone else’s shoes and experience unique customs from all over the world, consequently making you realize that your way is not the only way.

Reading can help the reader widen his horizons and be open-minded to new or different ideas that might seem unorthodox at first glance. Exposure of this magnitude is the reason reading can be relied on to fight narrow-mindedness in our society. If you

2. Reading is important as it develops empathy

Avid readers are often more finely attuned to the world around them. They develop empathy because they have the ability to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, put themselves in others’ positions, and strongly feel the world from someone else’s perspective.

Words can effectively paint feelings and capture the distinct emotional nuance that we can all so easily relate to, much more so than any other medium. They make us aware of all kinds of things that people go through, building a sense of understanding and tolerance. 

3. Reading broadens knowledge 

Do you happen to know a smart and intelligent person? Odds are the said person is probably a bibliophile. There is no doubt that reading will educate you, and making books your best buddies increases knowledge exponentially. Non-fictional literature is a rich source of cultural and historical information. You learn about the world and the ways of people.

Even if you read fictional books, chances are that you will benefit from them one way or another. They provide an opportunity to learn through vicarious experience and help improve emotional intelligence. Tip: Learn to read faster here.

4. Books build a better vocabulary 

To be articulate, eloquent, persuasive, expressive and cogent, one requires an exceptional vocabulary. Reading is important as it will do exactly that. Books are known for describing everything in such astute and minute details that one learns how to be articulate in one’s own life when having to describe a scenario.

You learn how to choose the right word to put your point of view across and become more persuasive. Avid readers will always have the most appropriate and befitting vocabulary to express their opinions immaculately. Books help readers coherently put into words what they truly wish to convey.

5. Reading helps us become self-aware

Reading is important as it helps readers connect with themselves. Books expose you to a minefield of emotions and make you relate to yourself. You will find a little bit of yourself in each character, scenario and dialogue. When you start relating to something, you get a greater understanding of yourself. This self-awareness that reading provides will eventually make you a better person. 

6. Books boost creativity & stimulate imagination

Every book is pretty much its own universe and every universe is unique. It has its own rules, its own epic story and its own characters, and you are more often than not placed in the driving seat. Pretty soon, without a shadow of a doubt, you’re already imagining different events unfolding within that universe, and the center of that universe is always the reader. It unlocks our imagination and unchains us from the conventional world we reside in.

Books help us escape our mundane reality and enter a world of fantasy filled with countless possibilities. When you make reading a habit, the continuous practice boosts creativity and enables you to think outside the box. Innovative ideas sprout and imagination takes a new form.

7. Reading reduces stress

According to a study conducted at the University of Sussex in 2009, reading books reduce stress by about 68 percent, and it works faster than other relaxation methods. Reading allows you to get immersed in a book so deeply that you forget the hassles of this world and escape into a fantasy universe of your own choosing.

Instead of succumbing to stress, grab a book and lose yourself in a whirlwind of literary adventures. An interesting book will keep your mind occupied and distracted from anything and everything stress-related.

8. Books improve communication skills

Communication may sound easy at first, but it’s one of the hardest skills to master in life truly. How often is it that a person finds himself at a loss for words when explaining himself or having to describe a situation or a scenario to someone else? It is hard putting thoughts into words.

Reading can most definitely help in this regard. Reading books will help you become more communicative and make imparting information much easier. A frequent reader will have the ability to speak fluently and eloquently with reason. Reading is, undoubtedly, the key to honing your communication skills in practical life.

9. Books bring tranquility 

Reading books is important as it is therapeutic. After a hectic day at work, the simple act of reading can help relax your nerves. A person’s quest for peace and tranquility is everlasting, and books provide the solace we yearn for so earnestly. Books open a doorway to different dimensions that we find ourselves engrossed in without worrying about the daily rigmaroles of life.

This is the reason why ‘bibliotherapy’ is quite successful. Reading in itself is a quiet and peaceful activity that transports us from the commotion of common life to a more tranquil frame of mind. Literature promotes emotional healing and is extremely therapeutic in modern times. All the more reason to pick up a book! 

10. Reading improves memory 

Reading is important for the brain just as a good workout is for the body. It provides significant mental stimulation helping you develop a sharp memory and an active learning capability. When you read a book, the parts of your brain trained for various functions such as comprehending visuals, language and learning work together to form a neural circuit.

This circuit, forming a mental challenge in itself then calls your intelligence in action and helps you read. You are forced to collect and store information, connect the dots into a complete narrative and imagine scenarios. Continuous reading creates more and more memory pockets in your brain which also slows down aging.

11. Books enhance analytical thinking skills 

Reading makes you think. As you read your favorite book, your brain creates a pause button to help you think and comprehend. You remember the storyline, the characters, and their actions, allowing you to identify patterns and make connections. Being actively engaged in reading books is important. It lets you think in different ways, ask questions and view unique perspectives, consequently honing your analytical thinking skills in the long run. Tip: You can also improve those skills with a course.

12. Reading inspires success

Different books have different stories but what’s common is that every book inspires its reader one way or another. Whether it is a fictional story about love or a semi-autobiography of a struggling woman, every book opens us up to possibilities we had never imagined and inspires us to do amazing things, just like the characters we read about. Books reignite passions and instill a strong desire to achieve goals.  

13. Reading improves focus & concentration

In a world where instant gratification has become the way of life and the attention span of an average millennial is no more than a couple of minutes, reading is important as it can improve focus and concentration. Unlike YouTube clips or Facebook videos where you can conveniently skip to the end, reading requires patience. Books are beautifully worded.

Those metaphors, analogies and depth of the dialogs need focus to be truly absorbed and understood. While reading, your brain gets occupied and immersed in understanding the story and connecting cause and effect. This practice trains our brain to have improved focus and concentration in other areas of life as well. 

14. Reading promotes self-discipline

People who are avid readers develop self-discipline over time. When you make reading a part of your life and build a habit out of it, you subconsciously train your mind to remove temptations and overpower obstacles. For instance, someone who reads for half an hour before going to bed never really lets anything come in the way and always manages to make time for it. Regular reading, consequently, brings a sense of self-discipline to an individual.

15. Books cure boredom

Who doesn’t get bored with the banalities of life? Whether you are buried in a mundane office routine or have plenty of time on your hands at home, reading books is something that won’t ever let you get bored. Fiction or non-fiction books allow us to explore multiple realities. Some might argue that movies or TV shows do the same.

However, the beauty of books is that everything is meticulously detailed and beautifully expressed. You experience the gentle breeze of Jamaica’s beaches, take a walk through Italy’s streets and marvel at Parisian art. Books teleport you to places you have never seen before, dismissing the slightest chance of boredom. 

Why Reading Is Important – Summary

Reading is important and, undoubtedly, improves life. Besides widening knowledge, improving focus, developing communication skills, boosting creativity and inspiring the desire to achieve more, books offer life-altering advantages that we seldom tend to ignore. If you haven’t been reading, it’s never too late. Grab a book now and set on your own journey of discovery. 

If you wish to become a more effective reader you might be interested in these speed reading books to boost your skills. One thing we strongly recommend is to jot down what you have read. Here are some tips to get started with book tracking.

We invite you to join a discussion about why reading is important. Please let us know what are your reasons and benefits of reading more books?

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