“So often, in the past, a visit to a bookshop has cheered me and reminded me that there are good things in the world.” – Vincent van Gogh
Reading rates are at an all time low in the United States today. As someone who reads on the weekends just for fun, this baffles me. Cracking open a good book is fading into a thing of the past. Survey data from the Pew Research Center reported that almost a quarter of Americans didn’t read any books last year. That’s a huge portion of our society that doesn’t see any need or desire to get lost in a novel, keep the book economy flowing, or consult print resources when researching. To make it worse, this decline has been going steady since before things like Facebook and video games came into mainstream society. This may not seem super concerning, but is it really what’s best for society or our students? Definitely not, and I’m going to give you a few reasons why.
The answer to financial success might be under the cover of a book.
Books are obviously full of various types of knowledge, depending on the subject. This is an effective way of learning for our brains; reading something and processing the information in your head can change your thought process, even improve it.
Studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between household income and the amount of books that household reportedly read during that year. In fact, it’s been proven that people with more education earn a higher income on average. Spoiler: that education is deeply rooted in, yup you guessed it: books. If you’re wondering where to start your reading list, check out these 15 books that CEOs think everyone should read.
There is no limit on how much a person can learn and increase their mental capacity and ultimately success. Take for example Bill Gates, who says he reads at least 50 books a year, if not more.
Keeps your mind & memory sharp.
Just as you’ve grown your reading skills since you were a wee tot who didn’t know how to read, you can continue to improve your skills well into adulthood. Not to mention that people have reported that they feel more satisfied and fulfilled if they are a regular reader.
Reading can stimulate your brain in ways that visual entertainments just can’t match. The activity of reading stimulates areas of your brain responsible for empathy, emotion, decision-making, and autobiographical memory. Engagement with your brain in this way keeps you sharp, helping to reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline. The act of continously remembering the characters, plot line and sub plots, can help to improve and retain memory function.
Reading can help you stay physically healthier too.
Reading books can even improve your physical health in some ways. Sitting down with a good book can decrease tension dramatically after a long day. The stress relief can be better than other common methods such as drinking tea, listening to music, or taking a walk. According to Minnesota University, this is because your mind is invited into a literary world that is free from the stressors that plague your daily life. It’s literally a whole new world you can open and close in a minute.
If you’re an insomniac, this method of winding down before bed is one you should switch to. Reading, when made into a part of your nightly ritual, provides a signal to your body and brain that it is time to relax, leading up to a good night’s sleep. Which, even though you might not think so, is much less disruptive to your natural sleep cycle than a Kindle or e-reader.
This easy activity can increase your life expectancy as well as your quality of life. Reading can develop your capacity to understand other people’s feelings and beliefs and how they may be different from your own. This leads to increased social interaction, the absence of which has been shown to be associated strongly with early death, almost at the same level as smoking cigarettes.
Go ahead and grab yourself a book.
As much as I appreciate you reading this article on whatever device you’re using, I reccomend planning a trip to a book store in the near future. Pick a comfortable, interesting, funny, or passionate topic that you enjoy and reap the benefits of reading today. Local bookstores I’ve visited and enjoyed around the area include some in New Paltz, Kingston, Woodstock, and Middletown. There are even more ways books can improve your life that I haven’t mentioned. Let me know your thoughts on reading books in the comments.
