Reading Is (Possibly?) Good For You, Part 2

 

Last week, I wrote about a scientific study that shows that reading can cause changes in the brain that last at least five days after finishing a book. This week, I have a list of other ways that reading may improve your health and your life. There are scientific studies to back up many of the things on this list.

1.      Reading improves your memory.

2.      It helps you learn new information.

3.      It allows you to experience things that you might not otherwise experience.

4.      It keeps your brain active.

5.      It can help prevent Alzheimer’s.

6.      It uses parts of the brain that may not be used in day-to-day activities.

7.      It encourages you to think about things that you wouldn’t otherwise think about.

8.      Reading to your children helps you bond with them.

9.      Reading to your children makes them more intelligent.

10.  Reading to your children improves their communication skills.

11.  Reading to your children can improve their math skills.

12.  Reading to your children can help increase their attention span.

13.  Reading to your children can give them a lifelong love of reading.

14.  Reading makes you more empathetic.

15.  It improves your writing skills.

16.  It improves your communication skills.

17.  It improves your reading comprehension.

18.  It improves your spelling, grammar, and vocabulary.

19.  It exercises your imagination.

20.  It increases your problem-solving skills.

21.  It helps you put problems in perspective.

22.  It can inspire you.

23.  It can excite you.

24.  It can encourage you to get involved with a cause.

25.  It allows you to “see” places that you may never visit.

26.  It gives you something to talk about with others.

27.  It brings people together (fandoms).

28.  It can help you make friends.

29.  It improves your analytical-thinking skills.

30.  It makes you more creative.

31.  It provides comfort.

32.  It can distract you while you exercise.

33.  Self-help books teach you how to make important changes to your life.

34.  It can help you get ahead in your career or your relationships.

35.  It can make you more comfortable with uncertainty.

36.  It reduces stress.

37.  It reduces anxiety.

38.  It helps you sleep by reducing stress and anxiety.

39.  It helps you spot patterns and cause-effect situations.

40.  It reduces boredom.

41.  It can decrease feelings of loneliness.

42.  It lets you get away from your life by “escaping” to somewhere else.

43.  It can distract you from pain or sickness.

44.  People who read are more likely to be civically and culturally involved with their community.

45.  It helps you cope with past and current experiences.

46.  It makes you sexier—intelligence is sexy.

47.  People who read are more likely to accurately interoperate the body language of others.

48.  People who read are more open-minded.

49.  People who read are more likely to think problems through instead of making snap decisions.

50.  It’s fun.

There are 50 reasons that reading may be good for you. So, go read. Improve your health.