10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day

When was the last time you read a book or a lengthy article in a magazine? Do you read tweets, Facebook messages, or the instructions on your instant oatmeal packet on a daily basis? If you're one of the many people who don't make it a habit to read on a regular basis, you're missing out: reading has a slew of advantages, and only a few of them are listed below.

1. Mental Stimulation

Since keeping the brain active and activated prevents it from losing control, studies have shown that remaining mentally stimulated can delay (or even prevent) the progression of Alzheimer's and Dementia. The brain, like every other muscle in the body, needs exercise to stay strong and safe, so the term "use it or lose it" applies especially well to your mind. Puzzles and games like chess have also been found to be beneficial in terms of cognitive enhancement.

2. Stress Reduction

No matter how much tension you're under at work, in your personal relationships, or in a number of other aspects of your life, it all fades away when you're absorbed in a good story. A well-written novel will take you to other worlds, while an interesting article can occupy your attention and hold you in the present moment, releasing stresses and allowing you to unwind.

3. Knowledge

Anything you read instills new knowledge in your mind, and you never know when it will come in handy. The more experience you have, the more prepared you will be to face any obstacle that comes your way.

Furthermore, here's some food for thought: if you ever find yourself in a bind, remember that while you can lose all else—your work, your belongings, your wealth, even your health—knowledge can never be taken from you.

4. Vocabulary Expansion

This is linked to the previous point: the more you read, the more words you'll hear, and they'll eventually find their way into your regular vocabulary. Being articulate and well-spoken is beneficial in every career, and understanding that you can confidently talk to higher-ups can improve your self-esteem significantly. It can also help you progress in your career, as those with larger vocabularies and a lack of knowledge of literature, scientific breakthroughs, and global events are promoted more rapidly (and more frequently) than those with smaller vocabularies and a lack of awareness of literature, scientific breakthroughs, and global events.

Reading books is also important for learning new languages because it exposes non-native speakers to words in context, which improves their speaking and writing fluency.

5. Memory Improvement

When you read a novel, you must remember a number of characters, their personalities, aspirations, history, and complexities, as well as the different arcs and sub-plots that run across each story. That's a lot to remember, but minds are amazing things, and they can remember these things very easily. Any new memory you make creates new synapses (brain pathways) and reinforces existing ones, which helps with short-term memory retention and mood stabilization. Isn't that amazing?

6. Stronger Analytical Thinking Skills

Have you ever read a fantastic mystery novel and solved the mystery before you finished it? If that's the case, you used logical and analytical thinking to figure out "whodunnit" by taking care of all the facts and sorting them out.

When it comes to critiquing the plot, the same ability to evaluate information comes in handy; deciding if it was a well-written piece, whether the characters were properly created, whether the narrative flowed smoothly, and so on. If you ever get the chance to speak about the book with someone, you'll be able to express yourself clearly because you've taken the time to think about all of the factors involved.

7. Improved Focus and Concentration

When we multitask through our days in our internet-crazed world, our focus is pulled in a million different directions at once. Working on a job, checking email, talking with a couple of people (via gchat, skype, etc.), keeping an eye on twitter, monitoring their smartphone, and engaging with coworkers are all things that the average person would do in a 5-minute period. This form of ADD-like behavior causes us to become more stressed and less productive.

When you read a novel, your whole concentration is on the story—the rest of the world fades away, and you can fully immerse yourself in every minute detail. Try reading for 15-20 minutes before work (or during your morning commute if you take public transportation), and you'll be shocked at how much more concentrated you are once you arrive at work.

8. Better Writing Skills

Exposure to published, well-written work has a noticeable impact on one's own writing, as studying the cadence, fluidity, and writing styles of other writers will invariably influence your own work. Writers learn how to craft prose by reading the works of others, just as musicians influence one another and painters use techniques developed by previous masters.

9. Tranquility

Aside from the relaxation that comes with reading a good book, the subject you read about can be able to offer you immense inner peace and tranquility. Reading spiritual texts has been shown to help people suffering from certain mood disorders and mild mental illnesses by lowering blood pressure and bringing 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 by lowering blood pressure and bringing an immense sense of calm.

10. Free Entertainment

While many of us enjoy purchasing books in order to annotate and dog-ear pages for future reference, they can be very costly. You should visit your nearest library for free entertainment and bask in the glory of the endless tomes available there. Libraries have books on every topic imaginable, and because they rotate their stock and receive new books on a regular basis, you'll never run out of things to read.

Many libraries have their books available in PDF or ePub format so you can read them on your e-reader, iPad, or computer screen if you live in an area without a nearby library or if you're mobility-impaired and can't get to one easily. There are numerous websites where you can download free ebooks, so go on a quest for something new to read!

Every literate person on the planet has a favorite reading genre, and whether you prefer classical literature, poetry, fashion magazines, biographies, religious texts, young adult books, self-help manuals, street lit, or romance novels, there's something to pique your interest. Step away from your machine for a few minutes, open a book, and let your soul rest for a bit.

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