Why Reading is Important

Reading is a pleasurable escape from reality with numerous benefits. It can help one grow mentally, emotionally and psychologically. Whenever you read a book, you have an opportunity to learn new things about life and know more about yourself and others. Reading can make you escape into the knowledge space; it can help you fly to a planet of knowledge, wisdom, and relaxation.

Reading is important for many reasons:

Reading improves memory

"Use your brain by doing challenging activities, such as puzzles, reading, playing music, making art, or anything else that gives your brain a workout!" –Steven Dowshen md biography That's right; reading can improve your memory because when you read, you are using memory muscle which lies in the Cerebrum part of your brain. Using this muscle helps your memory long term.

As you read you are memorizing and recalling words, ideas, names, relationships, and plots. You are essentially training your brain to retain new information.

Reading expands your knowledge and makes you smarter

The more you read the more knowledge you have. You will learn new things about life, people, places, and cultures. When you have strong knowledge, you will be able to solve problems and communicate better.

Reading reduces stress

If you have had a stressful day, reading can de-stress you. When you read a book, you will be engrossed in its words and feel its emotions. A 2009 study has shown that reading is more effective at reducing stress than listening to music, going for a walk, having a cup of coffee or tea, or playing video games.

So, the ultimate way of relaxing your mind is by losing yourself in a book! So Read more and you will realize that your stress level reduces with reading.

Reading improves writing skills, vocabulary and critical thinking

One of the benefits of reading is that it improves writing skills.

Reading also improves vocabulary and critical thinking. The conversations in the books help you strengthen your command over language. Your sentence formation becomes better and qualitative. You rarely get stuck for lack of words.

Once you have a richer vocabulary and controlled command over the language, your communication skills automatically become better.

Reading improves imagination

By reading, you are exposed to so many wonderful things. This helps your imagination when it comes to creating and thinking. By reading, you are painting those pictures of the story in your mind. Books can take you anywhere you want to go.

Reading a good novel can transport you to another place, another time or another world. You can escape reality and temporarily forget about what's bothering you. Opening your mind to new ideas and new possibilities makes you more creative and more empathetic.

Reading helps you sleep better

Reading is one of the best ways to relax your mind. According to research by the University of Sussex reading for even six minutes can reduce your stress levels by as high as 68 percent.

Psychologists believe that this is probably because when we are lost in a book, our mind is focused on reading and that little distraction from the real world and our problems into a literary world eases the tensions in muscles and heart.