8 Health Benefits of Reading
Reading at any age can have a wide range of health benefits. Sitting down and diving into a book is easier on the eyes than staring at a screen, can relax you, and provide health benefits. A good read can be good for you in the long run, below are eight health benefits of reading.
8 Health Benefits of Reading
- Builds empathy—literary fiction can facilitate your ability to recognize what people around you are thinking and feeling which increases your emotional intelligence and empathy skills
- Motivates you—reading about characters pursuing goals encourages you to emulate those activities in your personal life
- Enhances memory—your brain’s short-term memory and recall abilities are strengthened when working to follow different characters, each with their own background, history, personality and ambitions along with a story’s timeline, main plot, and subplots
- Staves off dementia—frequent brain exercises, including reading, are associated with a 32% reduction in mental decline while another study found that seniors who read books were 2.5 times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease
- Increases brain activity—an MRI of the brain showed heightened activity in the left temporal cortex (associated with language and intelligence) the morning after reading 30 pages of a book the night before
- Reduces stress—studies suggest a 68% reduction in stress after reading
- Improves sleep—a regular ritual of reading before bed signals your brain to prepare for relaxation and eventual sleep, helping you maintain a more regular sleep schedule
- Helps with depression—reading stories out loud, or even listening to stories read aloud, led to depressed patients report feeling better, having a more positive outlook, increased self-esteem and confidence, and better communication skills
