The importance of reading

12/01/2024

Why we should read books

Engaging in reading serves as a mental workout, fostering a sense of calm and relaxation in children while also unlocking the doors to fresh knowledge, enlightening their minds. The cognitive benefits of reading extend beyond childhood, positively impacting individuals of all ages.

Reading trains the brain

Reading enhances memory as readers must retain details about characters, settings, and plotlines. This process strengthens memory and creates new neural pathways. Consequently, individuals who engage in reading exhibit improved academic performance, with a positive impact on analytical skills and decision-making.

Ken Pugh, the research director at Haskins Laboratories under Yale University, says that reading activates all major areas of the brain, improving language, cognition, imagination, and selective and sustained attention skills. Books that tell stories as fiction or narrative non-fiction are particularly beneficial for brain training because they promote the development of imagination and cognitive abilities in a way that other genres cannot.

Reading develops communication skills

We can always share whatever we have read with our family, friends and colleagues. All this increases our ability to socialize. Humans are social beings and in the world of smartphones, we are losing our ability to socialize. However, reading has led to the formation of book clubs and other forums where we get a chance to share and interact with others.

A study published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics revealed that if a child reads just one picture book a day, they hear 78,000 words per year. This means that in families where many books are read, a preschooler hears 1.4 million more words in use than a child whose parents do not read to them. This significantly influences a child’s vocabulary and language development.

Reading makes you a better leader

Although not definitively proved, almost all great leaders were readers. One reason they are respected and known for their wisdom is because they develop healthy reading habits. For centuries, reading has been the source of inspiration, growth, and new ideas. It is a valuable investment in one’s own personality with uncountable and long-lasting benefits. If you want your child to become one, you need to encourage him to read. It will keep his mind healthy and productive. Only then they will be able to impact the world in a better way.

John Coleman, a management expert, noted in the Harvard Business Review that reading contributes to verbal intelligence, enhancing a leader’s knowledge and eloquence in communication. Notably, reading fiction fosters empathy, aiding in better understanding and relating to others. Recognizing the pivotal role emotional intelligence plays in leadership skills, Coleman suggests deliberately exploring various genres through reading and participating in book clubs to discover books that may not be naturally chosen.

Reading helps you get a better job

Children who are encouraged to read at an early age have better comprehension of things around them. They develop smart thinking abilities and are more receptive to creativity and ideas that other kids their age lack. As a result, they grow up to be a good deal more intelligent and aware of their surroundings than kids who don’t read.

Researchers from the University of Oxford analyzed the results of a survey conducted among 17,200 individuals born in the 1970s and found that those who regularly read books at the age of 16 were more likely to have achieved a good professional or leadership position by the age of 33. Participants in the study were also asked questions about other hobbies such as sports, attending cultural events, playing computer games, sewing, and cooking. It was revealed that no other activity had such a strongly positive impact on a young person’s development and future career as reading.

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