4 Reading Benefits That Will Inspire You To Pick Up A Book

Avid reader? Lifelong bookworm? We’ve got good news for you! Read up on the enriching art of the written word.

Language: it’s one of the greatest inventions of humankind. It’s shaped civilisations and lives. It’s also one of the things that makes us distinctly human. But with the advent of the 21st century comes the rise of technology, one that superimposes a fast paced lifestyle and virtual media over anything else. This leaves little room for people to become invested in the great art of reading.

Reading takes time, diligence, and patience. It takes a bit more time to be cognisant of its contents than, say, looking at a picture or watching a video. But while some people may not have the patience for it, it’s important to acknowledge that its advantages are great and many. As a magazine and digital platform, reading is at the heart of our soul here at Tatler. Now, we recount the ways reading has enriched our lives and how it can enrich yours too.

Reading helps improve your emotional quotient (EQ)

Some people place too much weight on one’s intelligence quotient (IQ) and not enough on one’s emotional quotient (EQ). But as social animals, EQ is important. It helps us understand people’s needs, work in teams, and build lasting relationships, which are integral to our mental health. Reading can help with that, particularly fiction books or memoirs.

Much of literature revolves around the human experience. It opens us up to worlds which, while vastly different, imbue a sense of familiarity with regard to the values or ideologies of certain characters and situations. Reading introduces us to a kind of social experience and reading can help us become empathetic to it.

Keith Oakley, professor emeritus of cognitive psychology at the University of Toronto says: “Fiction can augment and help us understand our social experience. A piece of fiction ... [is] a piece of consciousness being passed from mind to mind. When you’re reading, you’re taking in a piece of consciousness that you make your own.”

This sense of empathy is further strengthened in lifelong readers (who are continually exposed to various social realities) as opposed to those who read only sporadically.

Reading helps you feel better

We don’t mean to sound vague but what we mean is that reading the right thing at the right time can do wonders for your mental health. While reading cannot cure clinical depression or various psychological distresses, it can help ease people through midlife crises or a period of stress. So much so that an organisation based in London, The School of Life, is now introducing “bibliotherapy” to some of its patrons.

Those who want to try bibliotherapy fill out a questionnaire regarding their literary preferences as well as their current situation; in return, The School of Life sends them a list of books to read. According to The School of Life, most people have given them positive feedback.

But speaking on a more grassroots level, reading can help people feel better by transporting them into a whole new world. It’s something that’s been noted globally by readers of all ages. Call it escapism, harmlessly encased within a few hundred pages, offered by truly great writers to readers looking for a whole new world.

Reading helps improve brain function and articulation

Kind of obvious, but reading helps greatly with vocabulary expansion and articulation. As people are exposed to more words, meanings, and forms, they begin to build a larger word bank. This is especially useful for writers, lawyers, and those who depend on verbal communication.

Other than that, reading helps develop analytical and critical skills. Not to mention the knowledge that’s scattered around pages, which can also prove useful, as it exposes readers to various facts and tidbits about history and our society. Comprehension is key: in understanding a story — particularly a novel or another lengthy piece of literature — it’s imperative for people to analyse the undulations of a plot, the development of characters, the motive of the entire piece. This builds analytical thinking and skills that could prove useful later on in life.

Reading helps stave off dementia

Perhaps one of the best advantages to being a lifelong bookworm is the fact that it pays off in old age. Avid readers enjoy a slower rate of decline in memory loss and capacity as they age — 32% less than those who do not read. Physical signs of dementia, such as brain lesions, plaques, and tangles, were also found to be less in brains of those who consistently read and write.

Researchers suggest that the mind works like any other muscle in the body. To fully reap its benefits, it’s advisable to start young and stick to it. The more we read in our young age, the better it will be for us to keep it up as we grow older.

Topics

reading benefits bookworm

Tatler Asia

4 Reading Benefits That Will Inspire You To Pick Up A Book

Reading helps improve your emotional quotient (EQ)

Reading helps you feel better

Reading helps improve brain function and articulation

Reading helps stave off dementia