10 Benefits of Reading!
Sep 29, 2008 Literature
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I’m indebted to my mother to have inculcated a great habit like reading in me. I still remember how she used to just gift books for the special occasions like birthdays and Diwali. Slowly her perseverance of this trend became a passion for me. This habit grew stronger as I grew up. I started working and the mounting pressure of work kept me away from reading for long spans of time. But whenever I got some pockets of idleness in between projects, reading always came to my rescue. It never let me be unoccupied. Besides just keeping me engrossed, reading helped me improve my vocabulary and general awareness about the world, introduced me to the different cultures around the globe, kept the motor of my brain working and imbibed a certain level of discipline in my life.
Reading is one of the best hobbies a person can have. But it’s saddening to know that majority of us aren’t introduced to the fabulous world of books. If you are one of the non-book readers who feels you “don’t need no stinking books”, here are some reasons to start the habit…before you are left behind!
- Reading is an active mental process: Unlike sitting in front of the idiot box (TV), reading makes you use your brain. While reading you would be forced to reason out many things which are unfamiliar to you. In this process you would use the grey cells of your brain to think and become smarter.
- Reading improves your vocabulary: Remember in elementary school when you learned how to infer the meaning of one word by reading the context of the other words in the sentence? You get the same benefit from book reading. While reading books, especially challenging ones, you will find yourself exposed to many new words you wouldn’t be otherwise.
- Gives you a glimpse into other cultures and places of the world: How would you know about the life of people in Mexico if you don’t read about it? Reading gives you an insight into the diversity of ethnicity of people, their customs, their lifestyles etc. You become more aware about the different places and the code of conduct in those places.
- Improves concentration and focus: It requires you to focus on what you are reading for long periods. Unlike magazines, Internet posts or e-Mails that might contain small chunks of information, books tell the whole story. Since you must concentrate in order to read, like a muscle, you will get better at concentration.
- Builds self-esteem: The more you read, the more knowledgeable you become. With more knowledge comes more confidence. More confidence builds self-esteem. So it’s a chain reaction. Since you are so well read, people look to you for answers. Your feelings about yourself can only get better.
- Improves memory: Many studies show if you don’t use your memory, you lose it. Crossword puzzles are an example of a word game that staves off Alzheimer’s. Reading, although not a game, helps you stretch your memory muscles in a similar way. Reading requires remembering details, facts and figures and in literature, plot lines, themes and characters.
- Improves your discipline: Making time to read is something we all know we should do, but who schedules book reading time every day? Very few… That’s why adding book reading to your daily schedule and sticking to it, improves discipline.
- Improves creativity: Reading about diversity of life and exposing yourself to new ideas and more information helps to develop the creative side of the brain as it imbibes innovation into your thinking process.
- You always have something to talk about: Have you ever found yourself in an embarrassing situation where you didn’t have anything to talk about? Did you hate yourself for making a fool of yourself? Do you want a remedy for this? It’s simple. Start reading. Reading widens your horizon of information. You’ll always have something to talk about. You can discuss various plots in the novels you read, you can discuss the stuff you are learning in the business books you are reading as well. The possibilities of sharing become endless.
- Reduces boredom: One of the rules I have is if I am feeling bored, I will pick up a book and start reading. What I’ve found by sticking to this is that I become interested in the book’s subject and stop being bored. I mean, if you’re bored anyway, you might as well be reading a good book, right?
If you want to break the monotony of a lazy, uncreative and boring life, go and grab an interesting book. Turn the pages to explore a new world filled with information and ingenuity.
Tags: Benefits of Reading, Birthdays, Books, Boredom, Concentration, Creativity, Cultures, Discipline, Diwali, Hobbies, Lazy, Memory, Mental Process, Pressure of Work, Reading, Self Esteem, Special Occasions, Talk, Uncreative, Vocabulary, Work Pressure
September 30th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I agree that reading is the best hobby of all. Thanks for posting your well developed points. IMO they are right on.
October 2nd, 2008 at 3:27 am
Reading is a great time pass, especially when you are too tired.
November 9th, 2008 at 4:27 am
i totaly agree with all of the points you’ve mentionned about the importance of the reading process in our daily life thanks for the useful article!!!
December 1st, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Have you ever noticed that if you read a book and then go and see the movie that you are just so disappointed in the movie and wish you could just read the book again? Thank you so much for your post. I only wish more people would read. I recently became a reader (again) and have already started to notice a lot of the benefits that you have mentioned. I have always read to my children and at 6 and 4 am really starting to see that pay off!
January 6th, 2009 at 9:18 am
yah… all of what you have post are true. i just realized some of the benefits that you have post. it’s developing a lot of thing which i am not aware of, like the self-esteem.
January 18th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Reading is the number 1 thing a person can do to improve their life.
http://www.squidoo.com/benefits_of_reading
January 27th, 2009 at 1:33 am
Very nice article. I really like it. I use to read new paper daily.
January 29th, 2009 at 12:36 am
Nicely said, reading is a good habit. I enjoyed the article. Keep it up the good work.
January 31st, 2009 at 10:04 am
TL;DR
January 31st, 2009 at 10:06 am
Why do you think people who “don’t need no stinking books” would be reading this?
January 31st, 2009 at 10:54 am
Rick brings up a good point. A lot of those supposed benefits may not actually be caused by reading, but instead are a reflection of the innate traits of people who like to read. If you are close-minded and not interested in other cultures to begin with, there’d be no motivation to read about them; if you have poor self-discipline/concentration/focus, you’ll never get through a book, thereby making reading less enjoyable and less appealing of an option in the future, and so on.
That said, if you want to even be a moderately successful person, literacy is a good start.
January 31st, 2009 at 11:13 am
As a voracious reader, I can’t agree with you more! I would like to take this moment to thank my mom who also happens to be a bibliophile! I guess it’s in the genes!
January 31st, 2009 at 12:17 pm
There are 8 good reasons… But reason 5… come on, that’s a load of bollocks. Reason 9.. not a very strong reason either. Ok, these two count if you’re narcissistic oriented person so could be true for some.
January 31st, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Nice written article. I liked them all. I use to read a lots of books in the past, but these days I read news online.
March 28th, 2009 at 1:41 am
I am a student in KARDAN university. I read your article, it was nice, therefore I selected a few passage of that for my presentation. Thanks
March 30th, 2009 at 7:33 am
good write up
April 13th, 2009 at 5:42 am
Didn’t you just rape this article?!:
http://www.persistenceunlimited.com/2007/12/the-26-major-advantages-to-reading-more-books-and-why-3-in-4-people-are-being-shut-out-of-success/
May 2nd, 2009 at 5:04 am
Thank you very much. I found this article when I was searching information for my public speaking speech. Yes, reading is indispensable to succeed in life.
May 11th, 2009 at 6:19 am
Reading has been my hobby since childhood.I just love to reading good books on litrature, and inspirational books..
May 18th, 2009 at 1:05 am
I am fascinated by reading. I feel in this age reading is slowly
being replaced by other activities among our youngsters.
Thanks for your article. Reading I think is the best habit one could have, it certainly adds plus points to your personality.
May 20th, 2009 at 10:40 am
sup u fuckin jerks
May 24th, 2009 at 12:36 am
really i’m very surprised to know tha t which you tell definitly it is true and i inspire a lot with it
May 31st, 2009 at 4:05 am
i really apreciate this article, i agree! the more you read, the better memory and comprehension you’ll get..thank you.^_^
June 4th, 2009 at 2:33 am
Very good article; reading this is in fact, is already a very mentally-stimulating exercise. He who does not read or finds joy in learning scarcely knows the world, and even his ownself. The greatest presidents and leaders of history all loved reading; think they’re jerks now King Queen?
June 13th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
this is crasy
June 13th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
this is crasy
June 22nd, 2009 at 1:29 am
Awesome read, it is good to see this article coming at number two on google when I searched for benefits of reading.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:06 am
Nice article. Reading is really beneficial.
July 21st, 2009 at 5:39 am
Very interesting articles . Thanks for sharing your views and enlightining on many benifits from which i was unaware. THANKYOU
July 28th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
I am afraid I saw the same material without any change at all in another search “26 advantages of reading”.
July 29th, 2009 at 12:48 am
Very useful
July 29th, 2009 at 12:49 am
simply great
August 3rd, 2009 at 7:40 am
Hey its really effective
August 5th, 2009 at 1:20 am
hey really good one.
I like this article
thanks
August 12th, 2009 at 12:35 am
Nicely said, I believe reading is the most beneficial habit for every one. Normally I do read news paper before going to sleep.
August 25th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
I thought that the way in which the 10 Benefits of reading were stated was fabulous!!! I have personally enjoyed reading, and being read to throughout my entire life! I am glad to see that some people are so highly promoting such activities, instead of becoming glued to computer/video games consistently! Thanks!
August 26th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Nice reading, I really enjoyed the article.
August 31st, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Divya - thank you for this insightful article
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:38 am
Nicely presented points. surely this article will be a full on boon for people who are making some presentation on benefits of reading. In the comments i see that few people think that non readers would not read it anyways. It is true to a lot extent but then there are people who don’t like reading books but do read stuff on the internet. The sole reason for that is, internet gives u the information right on the topic. So my belief is that everything posted on internet with an intention to enlighten other is a good effort. Though this wont make any difference to few bad mouther s and they will continue their job of writing crap. Keep it up divya, nice job.
September 7th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
if you want to get benefit from your life you should read.Reading helps you to discern bad and good.I like this article.
October 29th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Your points look nice on the surface, but something obviously overlooked by anyone saying “Exelent points, your right reading is good for you,” is your lack of a source of information. Where is the case study or research that proves these points?
There HAS been research that proves that reading to a child at a very early age shows significant benefits. However, no research considers the underlying possibility that perhaps it is smart people who like to read, not reading makes you smart.
Perhaps reading only appears to be an intelligent thing to do, because in the middle ages, only nobles had books, and nobles were perceived to be the most intelligent, even if they weren’t. Therefore, intelligent people, wanting to emulate the appearance of intelligence, read.
I know plenty of people who WANT to be smart read, and they just don’t get any smarter.
I know that I hardly read at all and I have great vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and writing skills. I also know plenty of people like me.
I’m not providing any sources of information either, but I am merely saying we should study which way it is - Reading makes people intelligent, or intelligent people read.
November 4th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
I like reading too - it is one of the ways to input information.
I’ve even finished courses of speed reading.
November 8th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
I appreciate your points which will be beneficial toward my persuasive speech on why we should read, thanks again.
November 26th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
good article but i don’t think i will be reading anytime soon
January 8th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
huh i did not even get thiz
January 9th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
i no read and i turnz out ok
January 12th, 2010 at 7:08 am
what a short but perfect article thanks. I totally agree with you in everything.
January 16th, 2010 at 3:03 am
Reading is one of the best ways to entertain yourself besides the t-v and internet. It’s been one of my past regrets to not read a book. All because, I had problems in reading throughout elementary and middle school. So, I felt discouraged and decided to give up on reading for some reason. Now, I felt that reading books helps you in many ways of life. If I were to read books for fun, I would have been a little smarter.
January 29th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Who is the quote by?
“If you want to break the monotony of a lazy, uncreative and boring life, go and grab an interesting book. Turn the pages to explore a new world filled with information and ingenuity.”
I’d really like to know so I can quote it in a paper I’m writing.
Any response would be helpful.
February 8th, 2010 at 10:36 am
nice article. need permission to use some excepts in a book.