Reading, science has shown us, is beneficial. It stimulates many different parts of the brain, increases our ability to understand others, and improves our relationships.
But did you know that reading can also make you a more awesome person?
Vocabulary development
Definitely one of, if not the biggest, perk of reading has been how much my vocabulary has expanded as a result. This has not only helped me in my professional life, (when applying for jobs, interviews etc.) but my daily life also. If you’re usually the nervous-wreck that I am just before an interview, reading daily will definitely help boost your confidence.
Expands your analytical-thinking and problem-solving skills
Reading novels especially, has definitely expanded my analytical thinking skills. (Particularly with novels such as The Da Vinci Code where you are literally left with a code to decipher nearing the end of the novel). Reading books has led me to question/analyse more things in my daily life and has definitely made me a better problem-solver as a result.
Expands your writing skills
It goes without saying that in order to become a better writer, you must first become an avid-reader (IMO). That is definitely where my love of writing derived from. My style of writing has developed as a result of different elements of writing I have picked up from reading novels written by different authors. Reading really helped me to accommodate my own style of writing.
Improved concentration
I think I speak for pretty much all of humanity when I say memes have made Mondays at work almost bearable. However, an increase in social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook etc. has, no doubt, confined our attention span to that of being able to read no longer than a sentence or two. Reading definitely helps tackle that—by immersing yourself in nothing but the novel will definitely improve your level of concentration/focus regarding other tasks you would normally find tedious to complete.
Mental stimulation / knowledge
Neurologists have found that reading novels especially has shown to improve brain connectivity and theory of mind. (This goes hand-in-hand with the advancement of your analytical-thinking and problem-solving skills and also expansion of vocabulary). Reading loads has without a doubt made me a better conversationalist and more opinionated.
Helps reduce stress / anxiety
We’ve all come across a stressful time in our lives where we’ve found it hard to focus on one task, be more outspoken and consistently maintain a positive frame of mind. Whenever I have been in distress, I’ve always been able to turn to a novel to make me feel better. To be able to walk in the shoes of a different person for a bit is always a good distraction and at times helps you judge your situations from a more rational point of view afterwards.
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