Why Read: 11 Reasons to Fall in Love With Reading (Again)
‘Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.’Joseph Addison (The Tatler, 1710; the line is also attributed to Richard Steele)
But not only that… Reading benefits not only our mind and mental health. A good deal of research in recent years also links it to physical well-being – lower stress, better sleep and even a longer life.
The paradox is that the more we know about the benefits of reading, the less we read. Time-use surveys in the United States show that we spend less and less time reading for pleasure. The gap between generations is striking too – Americans over 75 read roughly three times longer each day than teenagers.
Why not?
For some people reading is a joy, while others avoid it. Do you know the three most common excuses of those who don’t read?
I don’t have time
You don’t have to devote hours a day to reading. Even a few minutes count – in one experiment, six minutes with a book were enough to calm people down noticeably.
I’m too tired
Reading is not a strenuous sport. It is a mental workout that keeps your thinking in good shape. Moreover, practice makes perfect. If you do it regularly, it will get easier and easier.
I don’t know what to read
Simply choose a topic that interests you and you will surely find a title that covers it. With the number of books out there, your options are endless.
Why fall in love with reading (again)
11 reasons
Find your reason to pick up a book. Whether you see this time as relaxation, as space for learning and personal growth, or as exercise for the brain, it is more than likely to benefit you. And undoubtedly others around you as well.
- Reason 1
It reduces stress
According to a small study carried out in 2009 for the Galaxy brand by the neuropsychologist Dr David Lewis (Mindlab International, University of Sussex), six minutes of reading were enough to cut stress – measured by heart rate and muscle tension – by up to 68%. Music scored 61%, a cup of tea or coffee 54%, a walk 42% and video games 21%. The study was never published in a peer-reviewed journal, so take it with a pinch of salt.
- Reason 2
It builds knowledge and sharpens the mind
The American children’s author Dr. Seuss wrote: ‘The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.’ For children, reading is the basic method of learning. A British study of identical twins (2015) also found that the twin who read better early on went on to score slightly higher in later intelligence tests.
- Reason 3
It makes us more empathetic
According to a study from the New School for Social Research published in Science in 2013, reading makes it easier to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. David Comer Kidd and Emanuele Castano showed that genre matters too: after reading a passage of literary fiction, participants did better in tests of understanding others than after non-fiction or popular fiction. Later attempts to replicate the result were mixed, however – what holds up more reliably is a small link between long-term fiction reading and empathy.
- Reason 4
It keeps the brain in good shape
Just as running is training for the cardiovascular system, reading is training for the brain. According to a Rush University study in the journal Neurology (2013), people who often read and did similar mentally stimulating things late in life lost memory 32% more slowly than average. Those who rarely did so declined 48% faster.
- Reason 5
It is linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease
The effect of mental activity on memory has also caught the attention of Alzheimer’s researchers. A study in PNAS (2001) found that people with the disease had spent less time in midlife on reading and other intellectual pastimes than their healthy peers. This is an association, not proof that reading protects against the disease – but it is one more good reason to reach for a book.
- Reason 6
It improves sleep
Reading calms us down and prepares the body for sleep. In an online trial with almost a thousand volunteers (2021), 42% of those who read a book in bed before going to sleep reported better sleep, compared with 28% in the control group. Do reach for a paper book, though – light-emitting screens keep us alert in the evening and delay sleep.
- Reason 7
It feeds the imagination
It will surprise no one that reading is a great way to feed the imagination. Unlike film, the stories take place in our heads and the brain simply creates the pictures itself.
- Reason 8
It improves how we express ourselves
Reading naturally enriches our vocabulary and so supports our verbal skills too.
- Reason 9
It is contagious
If you want to encourage children to read, start reading yourself. Children naturally copy what they see, and reading will more easily become their pastime too.
- Reason 10
It helps when times are hard
Reading helps us step away from reality for a while – whether it is fantasy or another genre that carries you off. Research on bibliotherapy suggests that guided reading, especially of self-help books, can ease depressive symptoms in adults. It is no substitute for professional help, though.
- Reason 11
It is associated with a longer life
A Yale University study from 2016 followed 3,635 people aged over 50 for twelve years. Those who read books lived on average 23 months longer than those who did not; even after adjusting for age, health, education and wealth, their risk of dying was 20% lower. This is an association, not a guarantee.
What will you read today?
Reading about reading