In honour of World Book Day, let’s talk about reading! Specifically, the benefits of reading every day. I know that not everybody has the time for daily reading, and I’m not here to judge if that’s the case. But if you do have some spare time, and you’re wondering what to do with it? Or, if you already enjoy reading every day and want some extra justification? This is the blog post for you!
I’ve collected 5 solid reasons why it’s a good idea to get into the habit of reading every day. Some of them even have research-based evidence behind them. That’s right, we’re getting serious!
1. Books help you to learn new things and become more empathetic
Whether you’re reading non-fiction or fiction, opening a book is a learning opportunity. You get insights into people’s experiences, and situations that you wouldn’t normally find yourself in. You pick up facts and ideas that you might not otherwise have encountered.
Reading books can help you to develop greater empathy as well, as it exposes you to other points of view. Research has indicated that reading can encourage people to put themselves in others’ shoes, and make them less likely to stereotype and judge others.
2. Reading every day will help you to develop as a writer
Active reading, paying attention to what you’re reading, can help you to become a better writer. This is for a bunch of reasons!
Reading helps to develops your vocabulary
This isn’t the most exciting-sounding reason to read, but there’s a lot to be said for it! Reading helps you to learn words, and ways of using words, that you might not otherwise come across.
There is the risk of learning words that you then know how to use, but not how to pronounce. It’s caused much mockery in my household over the years. A major selling point for audiobooks, if you ask me!
It helps you see what works and what doesn’t work
This is on multiple levels. Purely from a sentence-level perspective, through reading you can expose yourself to a range of styles of writing. You can start to work out what styles appeal to you, and how you can incorporate different techniques into your own writing.
It can also help inspire you with storyline ideas. Characters, subplots, ways to get your characters both into and out of trouble. Relationship development. Pacing. Through reading regularly, and thinking about the books you’re taking in, you can get a better understanding of how the elements of a story fit together.
It can keep you up-to-date with what’s happening in publishing
This one obviously applies more if you’re reading recent books, at least some of the time, but I think it’s worth mentioning. If you’re interested in being a published writer, it’s good to have a sense of what’s coming out and doing well.
Naturally, that doesn’t mean you should try to copy those things! Given the amount of time it takes to write, polish and publish a book, trend-chasing is a risky strategy anyway. But it’s still useful to have an understanding of what’s popular, and keep an eye on where your book fits.
3. Reading isn’t screen-based
We spend a lot of time in front of screens these days. More so than ever right now, since every aspect of social interaction has had to move online! And while it’s great to have that as a way of keeping in touch with friends and family, sometimes it’s just good to put the screen away and give your eyes a break.
Enter: reading! All the fun of a Netflix show, with none of the screen.
If you can set aside your phone or laptop in the evening, that’s a great time to pick up a book for another reason too. Switching to a non-screen-based activity before bed means you give yourself a break from the blue light emitted from screens. Research has indicated that using light-emitting devices before bed can negatively impact your sleep quality. Swap out the phone for an old-fashioned book and sleep better!
4. Reading every day keeps your brain active
For most of these benefits, I think you can make a strong case for audiobooks being as effective as reading a physical book. For this one though, evidence might be in favour of words on a page.
Reading and interpreting written language is a work-out for your brain, and research suggests that it can help to improve your short-term memory and mental flexibility. When I end up getting distracted by a book tomorrow morning, instead of going for a run, you can bet I’ll be coming back to these studies for my justification. The brain needs its exercise too!
5. Want to reduce stress? Try reading
We live in stressful times, there’s no denying that, and self-care is a hot topic right now. In terms of relaxation activities, sure meditation is great, but you could also just dive into a great book! In 2009, the University of Sussex found that six minutes of reading could reduce stress levels by up to 68%. That’s not a bad result for less than ten minutes with a book!
If you’re after a stress-busting read, I’d suggest something sweet and easy like Lucy’s Last Chance. Alternatively, if you’re more of a violent-video-games-to-let-off-steam kind of person, you might want to try something like The Poppy War!
Tempted to start a habit of reading every day?
Let me know how often you read already, and whether any of the reasons here have tempted you to up that page count! And if you’re after book recommendations, don’t forget I post weekly book reviews as well.
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