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10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day: 1. Mental Stimulation

The document outlines 10 benefits of reading: 1) It stimulates the mind and can prevent cognitive decline; 2) It reduces stress; 3) It increases knowledge that can be useful in various situations; 4) It expands vocabulary; 5) It improves memory; 6) It strengthens analytical thinking skills; 7) It improves focus and concentration; 8) It enhances writing skills; 9) It can provide tranquility; 10) It is free entertainment through libraries. Regular reading provides mental, emotional and career benefits according to the document.

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Hee Py
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74 views

10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day: 1. Mental Stimulation

The document outlines 10 benefits of reading: 1) It stimulates the mind and can prevent cognitive decline; 2) It reduces stress; 3) It increases knowledge that can be useful in various situations; 4) It expands vocabulary; 5) It improves memory; 6) It strengthens analytical thinking skills; 7) It improves focus and concentration; 8) It enhances writing skills; 9) It can provide tranquility; 10) It is free entertainment through libraries. Regular reading provides mental, emotional and career benefits according to the document.

Uploaded by

Hee Py
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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10 Benefits of Reading:

Why You Should Read


Every Day
LEISURE LIFESTYLE BY LANA WINTER-HBERTSAVE POST

When was the last time you read a book, or a substantial magazine
article? Do your daily reading habits center around tweets,
Facebook updates, or the directions on your instant oatmeal
packet? If youre one of countless people who dont make a habit of
reading regularly, you might be missing out: reading has a
significant number of benefits, and just a few benefits of reading are
listed below.

1. Mental Stimulation
Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow the
progressof (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimers and Dementia,
since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing
power. Just like any other muscle in the body, the brain requires
exercise to keep it strong and healthy, so the phrase use it or lose
it is particularly apt when it comes to your mind. Doing puzzles and
playing games such as chess have also been found to be helpful
with cognitive stimulation.

2. Stress Reduction

No matter how much stress you have at work, in your personal


relationships, or countless other issues faced in daily life, it all just
slips away when you lose yourself in a great story. A well-written
novel can transport you to other realms, while an engaging article
will distract you and keep you in the present moment, letting
tensions drain away and allowing you to relax.

3. Knowledge
Everything you read fills your head with new bits of information, and
you never know when it might come in handy. The more knowledge
you have, the better-equipped you are to tackle any challenge youll
ever face.
Additionally, heres a bit of food for thought: should you ever find
yourself in dire circumstances, remember that although you might
lose everything elseyour job, your possessions, your money, even
your healthknowledge can never be taken from you.

4. Vocabulary Expansion
This goes with the above topic: the more you read, the more words
you gain exposure to, and theyll inevitably make their way into your
everyday vocabulary. Being articulate and well-spoken is of great
help in any profession, and knowing that you can speak to higherups with self-confidence can be an enormous boost to your selfesteem. It could even aid in your career, as those who are well-

read, well-spoken, and knowledgeable on a variety of topics tend to


get promotions more quickly (and more often) than those with
smaller vocabularies and lack of awareness of literature, scientific
breakthroughs, and global events.
Reading books is also vital for learning new languages, as nonnative speakers gain exposure to words used in context, which will
ameliorate their own speaking and writing fluency.

5. Memory Improvement
When you read a book, you have to remember an assortment of
characters, their backgrounds, ambitions, history, and nuances, as
well as the various arcs and sub-plots that weave their way through
every story. Thats a fair bit to remember, but brains are marvellous
things and can remember these things with relative ease.
Amazingly enough, every new memory you create forges new
synapses (brain pathways)and strengthens existing ones, which
assists in short-term memory recall as well as stabilizing moods.
How cool is that?

6. Stronger Analytical Thinking Skills


Have you ever read an amazing mystery novel, and solved the
mystery yourself before finishing the book? If so, you were able to
put critical and analytical thinking to work by taking note of all the
details provided and sorting them out to determine whodunnit.

That same ability to analyze details also comes in handy when it


comes to critiquing the plot; determining whether it was a wellwritten piece, if the characters were properly developed, if the
storyline ran smoothly, etc. Should you ever have an opportunity to
discuss the book with others, youll be able to state your opinions
clearly, as youve taken the time to really consider all the aspects
involved.

7. Improved Focus and Concentration


In our internet-crazed world, attention is drawn in a million different
directions at once as we multi-task through every day. In a single 5minute span, the average person will divide their time between
working on a task, checking email, chatting with a couple of people
(via gchat, skype, etc.), keeping an eye on twitter, monitoring their
smartphone, and interacting with co-workers. This type of ADD-like
behaviour causes stress levels to rise, andlowers our productivity.
When you read a book, all of your attention is focused on the story
the rest of the world just falls away, and you can immerse yourself
in every fine detail youre absorbing. Try reading for 15-20 minutes
before work (i.e. on your morning commute, if you take public
transit), and youll be surprised at how much more focused you are
once you get to the office.

8. Better Writing Skills

This goes hand-in-hand with the expansion of your vocabulary:


exposure to published, well-written work has a noted effect on ones
own writing, as observing the cadence, fluidity, and writing styles of
other authors will invariably influence your own work. In the same
way that musicians influence one another, and painters use
techniques established by previous masters, so do writers learn
how to craft prose by reading the works of others.

9. Tranquility
In addition to the relaxation that accompanies reading a good book,
its possible that the subject you read about can bring about
immense inner peace and tranquility. Reading spiritual texts can
lower blood pressure and bring about an immense sense of calm,
while reading self-help books has been shown to help people
suffering from certain mood disorders and mild mental illnesses.

10. Free Entertainment


Though many of us like to buy books so we can annotate them and
dog-ear pages for future reference, they can be quite pricey. For
low-budget entertainment, you can visit your local library and bask
in the glory of the countless tomes available there for free. Libraries
have books on every subject imaginable, and since they rotate their
stock and constantly get new books, youll never run out of reading
materials.

If you happen to live in an area that doesnt have a local library, or if


youre mobility-impaired and cant get to one easily, most libraries
have their books available in PDF or ePub format so you can read
them on your e-reader, iPad, or your computer screen. There are
also many sources onlinewhere you can download free e-books, so
go hunting for something new to read!
Theres a reading genre for every literate person on the planet, and
whether your tastes lie in classical literature, poetry, fashion
magazines, biographies, religious texts, young adult books, selfhelp guides, street lit, or romance novels, theres something out
there to capture your curiosity and imagination. Step away from your
computer for a little while, crack open a book, and replenish your
soul for a little while.

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