In this digital era, reading seems to have been place on the back-warmer in exchange for other ‘more interesting’ mediums like YouTube, video games, etc. Most prefer the player/viewer interactivity in addition to the visual and auditory stimulation they offer over books. However, even with considering this, I still firmly believe reading is a fundamental practice that should be incorporated into one’s daily life. Let’s talk about a few benefits that daily reading can supply!

1. Better vocabulary

Reading daily can enrich a person’s lexicon through exposure to a variety of different words you may not get the chance to hear or see anyone around you use. Frequency elevates the chances to learn new terms without having to go out of your way to search for them. Once you encounter the new word, you can use context clues around it to grasp the general meaning or look it up in the dictionary, making a note of its definition and how it was used for future references, incase you want to give the word a try for yourself

2. Knowledge expansion

For any topic you may need or want to learn about, there’s a book, or multiple of them, that contains a widespread of information on it. While I know nobody wants to hear this, and as much as I hate to admit it, no, a thirty-minute YouTube video is not going to provide you with an in-depth explanation on the topic you need to know about. As convenient as they are, the most you are likely going to get out of those videos is the basics and general information on your topic of choice. Compared to this, books are written by experts and people who have studied what you want to know about for long periods of time. They promise you knowledge beyond surface-level statements and have more accurate, reliable information. Yes, it may take you hours to get through a book, but you are guaranteed a comfortable grasp on your subject.

3. Helps imagination

A lot of our media today is visual, giving you pictures or videos to look at so you don’t have to go the extra mile attempting to visualize what they are talking about. Books, however, typically don’t have this option. Often foregoing picture media, books will give descriptors of the area or objects that are being called into focus instead.

Ex: The car was a deep red, similar to that of an apple, with shiny rims and a sleek black interior.

Things like this, exercising your mental imagery and creative thinking by setting up a clear visual of what the object in question looked like, over simply showing you.

4. Stress relief

Books can help with letting go of stress by allowing you something else to focus on instead of your stressor. By prompting your brain to interact with the setting and imagery in the story, it gives you an adequate distraction. Studies also show that reading for prolonged periods can lower a person’s heart rate and release tension in their muscles.

5. Improves concentration

With a huge proportion of the content people consume today being under five minutes, our attention span and ability to concentrate have decreased. Reading can help reverse this decline due to it being an activity that requires your complete, undivided attention in order to comprehend what’s taking place in the story. Thanks to books telling stories in a chronological sequence, one event commonly causes a chain of reactions that spark another event, not paying attention fully can lead to readers getting lost and missing information. This encourages your brain to fully immerse itself in the text and block out any distractions. Therefore, strengthening your ability to concentrate and focus.

While there may be times when reading can seem boring next to other alternatives, it still can bring huge improvement to our everyday lives that should not be overlooked. So, if you are ever in need of a reason to get back into reading, may you find it within this article

Thanks for reading!