Imagine unlocking a secret superpower that sharpens your mind, expands your vocabulary, and even helps you sleep better—all from the comfort of your favorite chair.
Reading isn’t just a leisure activity; it’s a gateway to endless benefits for your brain, imagination, and overall well-being.
Whether you’re flipping through a novel, diving into a biography, or exploring new ideas in a self-help guide, every page you turn has the potential to transform you in unexpected ways.
In today’s fast-paced, screen-heavy world, reading offers us a chance to slow down, engage deeply, and build skills that last a lifetime.
From boosting your memory to enhancing your creativity and knowledge, the benefits are undeniable.
Ready to learn how this simple yet powerful habit can enrich your life? Let’s turn the page and explore six terrific reasons why picking up a book is one of the best decisions you can make!
6 Terrific Benefits of Reading
1. It strengthens your brain.
The human brain is just like playdough. It can be easily molded, changed and improved.
Reading enhances connectivity in various parts of the brain that wouldn’t otherwise be stimulated by everyday activities. The more you read diverse pieces of work, the more different parts of your brain find increased connectivity.
This change in how the brain works improves your general cognitive capacity.
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2. It expands your vocabulary.
I am sure we have all met someone who is very articulate.
They know the perfect word for everything they want to say and are able to communicate effectively and often in an engaging manner.
That does not come naturally; it comes by reading. As you read, you become exposed to more words that eventually find their way into your everyday vocabulary.
On average children know 3,000 words, while adults know 30,000 words.
The 3,000 words that children know are the basics of a language, while the 30,000 adults know are the specified variations of the basics. For instance, a child knows the word ‘dog’ but an adult knows the different breeds.
While the child can communicate, the adult who is able to differentiate the different breeds can communicate even more effectively.
In the same manner, reading exposes you to variations of words you already knew and makes you more eloquent and well-spoken.
3. It improves your memory.
The best way to keep our memory sharp is to use it.
In order to accurately follow a story when reading, you need to remember the plot, characters and other important details that keep the story going. Creating these new memories strengthens the old ones you already had.
It also makes it easier for your brain to create new memories in general.
4. It improves your imagination and analytical skills.
As you read, you engage with the literature.
You involve your thoughts and imagination in order to clearly understand why characters might have done what they did or what is likely to happen in future.
You critically analyze the characters, as well as how the author wrote the piece. Subconsciously, you might even come up with ways you might have written the book differently.
These critical thinking skills become transferable to your everyday life and change how you make both long and short term goals and plans.
5. It makes you more knowledgeable.
Knowledge is one of those things that can never be taken away from you once you have acquired it.
Since we are not experts in every field, reading allows us to learn from experts of other fields. After reading, you might not be consciously aware of the new information and knowledge you would have gained.
But, as you have conversations or think about certain topics, you might be surprised by how much you know, based on the material you’ve consumed.
6. It can help you sleep better.
A big part of reading a good book is the use of your imagination.
It allows you to relax and ignore the outside world so you can focus on your book. This can allow you to more easily fall asleep.
Moreover, reading can distract you from negative emotions such as anxiety, which could otherwise hinder you from having a good night’s rest.
It’s Never Too Late to Start Reading!
Life is busy and most of us struggle to even have time to ourselves. But, when we really want to do something, we can create time for it.
At the end of a busy day, rather than spending two hours doomscrolling, you could use that time to pick up a book and read.
Some of these benefits such as the increase in memory and critical thinking might not be observed as soon as, say, improved sleep. Just because you’re not immediately noticing any benefits from your reading doesn’t mean that there aren’t any.
There surely is a genre for everyone out there. Cut your screen time and do more reading. You might actually enjoy it more than you realize!
Editor’s note: This article was originally published Nov 24, 2022 and has been updated to improve reader experience.
Photo by Lisa Fotios
