5 Reasons to Read Every Day

Whether you are starting your first job or you are at the height of your career, self-education through reading is essential to success. By constantly striving to acquire new knowledge that can be applied to your life, you are expanding your abilities and increasing your potential in ways you probably can’t predict. Besides the typical reasons you’ve been told to read, there may be numerous health benefits scientists are just beginning to discover. After looking through the current research, here are 5 scientifically-backed reasons to read every day:

1. Increasing intelligence. A report from the University of California Berkeley found that reading books exposes you to 50% more words than prime time TV or even conversations between college graduates. Exposure to new words leads to higher scores on reading tests, general intelligence tests, and reasoning tests. However, research does suggest that it is important to read from a traditional book rather than an electronic device. When you read from a screen, your reading speed can slow down by 20-30%.
2. Give your brain a workout and improve your mental power. Reading a book is like giving your brain a cardiovascular workout. As your brain processes the text, changes happen in the brain that lead to improved efficiency, focus, and power. Studies show that reading regularly improves memory function, slows the decline of memory and brain function, and improves mental focus and stamina. Basically, reading often makes your mind sharper, longer.
3. Reduce stress and increase relaxation. If you have stress built up from work, relationships, or other issues, reading is a great way to naturally reduce that stress and allow for rejuvenating relaxation. A 2009 study by Sussex University found that reading may reduce stress by up to 67%. The same study found that reading works faster and better than other relaxation methods, including listening to music or drinking hot tea. However, it should be noted that if you read something that makes you feel angry or helpless the positive stress-reducing effects may diminish.
4. Make yourself more empathetic. Fictional writing has the ability to increase one’s emotional awareness. According to research published in Science, understanding others’ mental states is a crucial skill that is enabled through reading fictional writings. In two experimental studies, they were able to show that self-reported empathic skills significantly changed over the course of one week for readings of a fictional story.
5. Improved writing skills. Writing and reading go hand-in-hand. Many great writers have postulated that their writing abilities came from their obsession with reading. No matter what you do in life, writing well is an incredibly valuable skill worth developing. Interestingly, research also shows that increasing your writing time each day leads to improvements in reading comprehension and analysis. So basically, write or read and reap the benefits.