ARTICLE by Thomas J Law
There are so many benefits to reading books.
But let’s face it: It can be challenging to motivate ourselves to read a 382-page book when we can watch the movie, listen to the audiobook, or watch a YouTube video summary instead.
Am I right?
However, if most of your daily reading consists of social media posts, text messages, and news headlines, you’re missing out.
So, what are the benefits of reading books?
If you’re interested in reading more books but need some motivation, this article’s for you. After all, when you understand the importance of reading books, you’re more likely to do it.
Now, let’s dive a little deeper to better understand the advantages of reading.
1. Gain Valuable Knowledge
One of the most obvious benefits of reading every day is learning.
And unlike a YouTube video or podcast, books provide access to in-depth knowledge. In other words, if you want to become more productive, which do you think you’ll learn more from:
- A book by someone who’s studied productivity for 20 years,
- Or a 10-minute YouTube video by someone interested in the topic?
Which do you think you’ll absorb more from? Which do you think is more likely to help change your habits? Books, of course!
Going beyond the surface of a subject is essential to success, too. This is probably why the author Roald Dahl once said, “If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books.”
Plus, you can learn literally anything from books. For example, whenever anybody asks Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, how he learned to build rockets, he says, “I read books.”
So, what do you want to learn?
Perhaps you want to learn how to code, paint, or start a successful business? Maybe you want to learn how to stop procrastinating? Or perhaps you want to figure out how to change your life completely?
Whatever it is, reading can help.
2. Exercise Your Brain
Why is reading important? As the 17th century English writer Joseph Addison once wrote, “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”
So, what does reading do to your brain?
Research has confirmed that reading stimulates a complex network of circuits and signals in the brain. Plus, as you improve your reading ability, these networks become stronger and more sophisticated.
In another study, researchers measured how reading a novel affects our brains. The study’s participants read the novel “Pompeii” by Robert Harris, and as tension in the story developed, more areas of the brain were activated.
Want to know the best part?
The scans showed that brain connectivity increased while reading and for days afterward, demonstrating the enormous benefits of reading books every day.
Bottom line, our brains have a “use it or lose it” policy, just like our muscles. In other words, if we don’t exercise our minds regularly, our cognitive abilities may decline. However, when we read every day, we can keep them strong and healthy.
3. Improve Your Focus
Being able to concentrate and focus for long periods is essential to our success and wellbeing. Cal Newport, the author of Deep Work, writes: